University  of  California  •  Berkeley 


rattft 


A  NATURAL 


A  STORY 

OF 

PHOENIX,   ARIZONA. 


BY 

JANIE   CHASE   MICHAELS. 


Cbarlcs  1b.  ©lass  £  Company 
1895. 


Qpyrighted,    1895 

by 
JANIE    C.    MICHAELS. 


QUOTATIONS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

"  In  to-day  already  walks  to-morrow." 

CHAPTER  II. 

' '  Those  about  her, 
From  her  shall  learn  the  perfect  ways  of  honor." 

CHAPTER  III. 
"  O,  for  a  beaker  full  of  the  warm  South  !  " 

CHAPTER  IV. 

"And  though  he  trip  and  fall, 
He  shall  not  blind  his  soul  with  clay." 

CHAPTER  V. 

' '  The  secret  of  success  is  constancy  to  purpose. ' ' 

CHAPTER  VI. 

"And,  after  all,  what  is  a  lie?     'Tis  but  the 
truth  in  masquerade." 

CHAPTER  VII. 

' '  Truth  is  the  highest  thing  that  man  may 
keep." 


A  NATURAL  SEQUENCE. 


CHAPTER   I. 

"//?  to  day  already  walks  to  morrow.1' 

THE  annual  rainfall  usually  occurs  in 
December.  But  in  this  month  of  the 
year  189 —  anxious  watchers  searched  the 
sky  in  vain  for  the  white,  fleecy  specks 
that  always  herald  the  coming  of  the 
storm-clouds.  On  the  ranges  the  cattle 
were  dying  for  lack  of  food  and  water; 
while  thick  coats  of  dingy  gray  covered 
the  green  of  cultivated  tracts.  All  the 
Salt  River  Valley  lay  athirst  beneath  the 
scorching  rays  of  a  semi-tropical  sun. 


10  A    Natural  Sequence. 

It  was  not  until  the  following  Febru- 
ary that  the  storm  elements  triumphantly 
trailed  their  black  skirts  across  the 
encircling  mountains.  As  if  by  magic, 
the  foot-hills  became  covered  with  a 
juicy  grass;  the  desert  no  longer  held 
up  haggard  and  imploring  hands  of 
scanty  vegetation;  and  the  fruit  groves 
and  orchards  became  "huge  seas  of 
verdure." 

Within  the  city,  forming  the  com- 
mercial centre  of  this  hot  plateau,  the 
floating  particles  of  dust  had  found  their 
proper  level.  Each  atom  seemed  a  mag- 
net. Collectively,  they  were  a  good 
illustration  of  the  ancient  proverb,  "  In 
union  there  is  strength."  Whatever 
came  in  contact  with  their  cohesive, 
adhesive  surfaces  was  drawn  with  an 
almost  irresistible  force  towards  mother- 
earth.  On  the  morning  of  the  tenth  day 


In  to  day  already  walks  to  morrow.          1 1 

of  rainfall,  there  were  not  many  pedes- 
trians abroad.  Only  necessity  took  one 
out  of  doors  where  over-shoes  were  almost 
sure  to  part  company  with  their  proper! 
companions  and  attach  themselves  to  the 
black  adobe. 

Elsa  Walton  stood  at  the  front  window 
of  a  house  on  Washington  street  and 
gazed  frowningly  upon  the  gloomy  land- 
scape. The  dwelling,  modern  in  style 
and  constructed  of  brick,  stood  upon  a 
raised  lawn,  across  which  a  graveled 
path  led  from  the  front  door  to  the 
side-walk.  The  water  ran  off  this  beaten 
way  into  irrigating  canals  dug  on  each 
side  of  it.  There  was  nothing  here  to 
justify  the  two  little  lines  gradually 
deepening  between  the  girl's  eyebrows. 

Beyond  the  fence  enclosing  this  house, 
there  lay  a  watery  sheet  of  no  mean 
dimensions.  The  land  here  sloped  from 


12  .1    Natural    Sequence. 


the  north;  and  the  "  ditch"  between 
side-walk  and  road-level  had  overflowed 
its  banks.  How  to  get  around  this 
*  miniature  pond  was  a  vexatious  problem. 
It  was  this  perplexity  that  had  clouded 
the  usually  pleasant  face  of  Miss  Walton. 
She  was  a  teacher  in  the  "Number  One" 
school  building;  and,  in  spite  of  the 
storm  and  bad  condition  of  the  roads, 
must  go  to  her  post  of  duty.  In  fair 
weather,  it  was  not  more  than  a  ten 
minutes'  walk  to  the  school-house;  but 
now  not  less  than  half  an  hour  would  be 
required  to  reach  it. 

After  watching  for  a  few  minutes  the 
circling  wavelets  made  by  the  pelting 
rain-drops,  she  turned  away,  saying: 
"Well!  as  I  must  test  the  depth  of  the 
water,  I  may  as  well  be  getting  ready  to 
sally  forth.  How  I  do  dislike,  though, 


In  to  day  already  walks  to  morrow,  \\\ 

to  exchange  this  coziness  and  comfort  for 
the  ontside  wet  and  gloom." 

The  apartment  in  which  she  stood 
revealed  a  girl's  innate  love  for  pretty 
and  bright  surroundings.  The  chairs 
were  placed  as  if  for  delightful  tete-a-tetes', 
an  upright  piano  stood  near  the  east 
window ;  a  small  tea-table,  with  its  adorn- 
ments of  china  and  a  silver  tea  urn,  was 
a  silent  witness  to  social  chats;  while 
numerous  pieces  of  bric-a-brac  and  dainty 
scarfs,  gracefully  draped,  gave  a  final 
touch  of  color  and  refinement  to  the  room. 
Small  wonder  that  its  occupant  wished  to 
remain  within  doors ;  but  there  could  be 
no  choice  in  the  matter.  So  with  a  half 
sigh  she  crossed  the  room  and  entered 
another,  separated  from  the  first  by  a 
curtained  arch.  During  the  day-time 
this  adjoining  apartment  presented  every 
appearance  of  a  well-regulated  back 


14  A    Natural   Sequence. 

parlor.  All  that  could  be  seen  from  the 
front  room  was  a  conventional  centre 
table  and  a  huge  bookcase.  The  latter 
stood  against  the  white,  unpapered  wall, 
its  broad  front  boasting  curtains  of  some 
thin,  flowered  material.  At  night  these 
were  pushed  aside;  and  springs  were 
revealed  more  dear  to  civilized  humanity 
than  even  those  from  which  flow  the 
streams  of  knowledge.  The  fairy  god- 
mother of  modern  invention  went  further, 
and  transformed  sundry  chairs  and  tables 
into  the  additional  belongings  of  "my 
lady's  chamber." 

Miss  Walton  occupied  these  two  rooms 
in  common  with  her  friend,  Martha  Cog- 
geshall,  a  Massachusetts  girl,  who  was 
now  a  teacher  in  the  "Number  Two" 
building  at  the  other  side  of  the  city, 
and  who  had  set  out  for  the  scene  of 


In  to  day  already  walks  to  morrow.  15 

her  labors  at  an  early  hour  on  this 
unpropitious  morning. 

Advancing  reluctantly  to  a  small 
table  covered  with  feminine  belongings, 
Elsa  abstracted  several  pins  from  a 
cushion,  with  which  she  proceeded  to 
shorten  the  blue  serge  skirt  hanging  in 
graceful  folds  to  the  floor. 

This  gown  showed  to  advantage  her 
rounded  and  symmetrical  figure.  It  also 
suited  well  her  blonde  complexion. 

"I  shall  wet  my  feet,  I  know;"  she 
murmured  dolefully,  while  making  the 
circuit  of  the  skirt.  "There  won't  be 
half  a  dozen  children  out  on  such  a  day 
as  this;  and  it  is  all  nonsense  for  me 
to  go  down  there.  However,  as  I  am 
subject,  and  not  ruler,  I  may  as  well  save 
my  breath  for  the  tug  of  war.  Where's 
my  umbrella?" 


16  A    Natural   Sequence. 


Shaking  into  place  the  shortened  skirt, 
she  glanced  around  in  search  of  the 
needed  article.  Its  tip  was  just  visible 
below  a  curtain  shutting  off  a  right 
angled  space  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
room.  Crossing  over,  she  picked  up  the 
umbrella  and  laid  it  on  a  table;  then 
removed  her  waterproof  from  its  peg. 
While  donning  this  indispensable  wrap, 
she  mused  wickedly:  "I  just  wish  that 
I  had  some  of  those  hideous  garments 
advocated  by  certain  leaders  of  reform. 
I'd  put  them  on  this  morning.  They 
would  be  much  more  suitable  than  petti- 
coats for  a  tramp  through  this  heavy 


rain." 


But  when  once  outside  the  door,  a 
glorious  sense  of  the  youth  and  health 
that  made  possible  for  her  a  walk  in  this 
inclement  weather  chased  away  all  rebell- 
ious feelings.  The  freshness  of  the  damp 


In  to  day  already  walks  to  morrow.  17 

air  gave  her  new  life.  "I  don't  believe  I 
want  this  umbrella ;"  she  said,  medi- 
tatively, with  one  hand  still  on  the  door- 
knob. uThe  rain  cannot  injure  either 
mackintosh  or  sailor  hat;  and  as  for 
myself,  I  am  neither  sugar  nor  salt." 
Opening  the  door,  she  placed  the  umbrella 
inside. 

Her  spirits  rising  with  the  buoyancy 
of  girlhood,  Elsa  ran  down  the  steps. 
The  rain-drops  on  her  face  were  refresh- 
ing. She  bent  her  neck  backward  to 
catch  more  of  their  coolness,  only  lower- 
ing her  head  when  the  gate  was  reached. 
It  closd  after  her  with  a  click.  The 
water  covering  the  side-walk  proved 
shallow,  and  the  crossing,  a  short  distanc 
down  the  street,  was  safely  reached. 
Here,  the  swelling  pool  was  of  greater 
depth;  but  by  slowly  and  cautiously 
choosing  her  way,  the  opposite  side  of  the 


18  A   Natural   Sequence. 

street  was  gained  with  over-shoes  still 
above  high-water  mark. 

At  this  point  the  soft  earth  proved  a 
snare  indeed.  With  the  first  step  into  its 
treacherous  depth  an  over-shoe  was  left 
behind.  This  had  been  carefully  read- 
justed when  she  heard  behind  her  the 
plash  and  thud  of  a  horse's  hoofs.  The 
girl's  face  brightened.  It  might  be 
some  one  coming  whom  she  knew,  and 
who  would  help  her  out  of  this  awkward 
plight.  The  horse  had  slackened  his 
pace,  was  abreast  of  her  now,  and  she 
could  see  who  was  his  driver.  Delight- 
ful !  it  was  Mr.  Butler  going  to  his  ranch ; 
and  she  had  met  him  once  or  twice  at 
social  -gatherings. 

Miss  Walton  gave  a  bow  of  recognition. 
The  man  acknowledged  the  salutation  by 
lifting  his  hat;  and  then — drove  along. 


In  to  day  already  walks  to  morrow.  19 

The  girl  arched  her  eyebrows  in 
astonishment.  uTo  say  the  least,  you  are 
thoughtless,"  she  ejaculated,  looking 
after  the  retreating  figure  with  an  angry 
sparkle  in  her  blue  eyes.  But  there  was 
no  time  to  waste  in  idle  exclamations. 

With  the  next  step  forward,  both  over- 
shoes sank  from  sight  .in  the  black  ooze. 
Dainty  Elsa  looked  down  in  dismay  at 
her  wet  and  muddy  gaiters,  recovered  the 
over-shoes,  and,  with  these  in  one  hand, 
made  ready  for  a  reckless  plunge  through 
the  mud.  But  even  now  her  headway 
was  slow;  for  at  each  step,  a  small  kid 
boot  came  up  freighted  with  the  sticky 
adobe. 

Again  wheels  were  heard  near  her; 
but  this  time  she  scorned  to  look  up. 
The  carriage  was  evidently  coming 
toward  "town."  Just  behind  her,  it 
wheeled;  and  almost  before  she  became 


20  A    Natural    Sequence. 


aware  of  its  close  proximity,  a  masculine 
voice  said:  "I  will  take  you  to  school. '> 

Miss  Walton  turned  her  head.  Could 
it  be  possible  that  here  was  the  very  man 
who  had  so  thoughtlessly  driven  past  her. 
Would  she  ride  now?  No,  indeed!  The 
mischief  was  done.  Both  shoes  were 
wet  and  muddy.  And  a  little  forethought 
on  his  part  would  have  prevented  this. 

Seeing  her  hesitation,  the  man  said : 
"  I  was  so  busy  thinking  when  I  passed 
you,  that  I  neglected  to  ask  you  to  ride. 
As  soon  as  I  came  to  my  senses,  I  drove 
back." 

He  was  now  on  the  ground,  one  hand 
extended  to  assist  her  into  the  buggy. 

The  awkward  apology  and  masculine 
assurance  that  she  would  ride  only  served 
to  increase  the  ire  of  outraged  youth  and 
beauty.  She  was  not  the  girl  to  stand 
meekly  by  the  roadside,  in  a  pouring 


In  to  day  already  walks  to  morrow.          -\ 


rain,  and  wait  for  a  man  to  complete  his 
reveries  before  offering  his  needed  ser- 
vices." 

"I  prefer  to  walk,"  she  answered,  with 
marked  emphasis  on  the  second  word. 

There  are  men  and  men.  At  this  curt 
sentence,  delivered  with  an  air  of  hauteur, 
the  greater  number  would  have  gone 
away  at  once;  others  would  have  repeated 
their  offer  of  aid,  and,  after  a  second  re- 
fusal, would  have  departed;  while  a  still 
smaller  number  would  have  pressed  their 
services  upon  her,  and  finanally  would 
have  left  her,  disgusted  at  her  obstinacy. 

Donald  Butler  was  unlike  any  of  these. 
The  imperative  mood  was  his  usual  form 
of  expression,  revealing  the  strong  will 
power  that  commands  obedience.  He  had 
no  idea  of  going  away  and  leaving  a  girl 
stuck  in  the  mud,  simply  because,  for 


22  A    Natural   Sequence. 

some  foolish  reason,  she  had  refused  his 
assistance. 

"I  will  take  you  to  school,"  he  repeated. 

Unlucky  construction. 

Elsa  looked  longingly  at  the  school 
building  looming  up  ahead,  and  again 
said  frigidly  :  "  I  prefer  to  walk." 

"  Yes,"  he  assented  pleasantly,  "  but 
this  morning  you  are  foolish  to  think  of 
it.  You  should  have  taken  a  street  car." 

She  would  not  tell  him  that,  owing  to 
a  bad  accident,  the  cars  were  off  this 
morning,  and  she  had  no  one  to  send  for 
a  public  conveyance.  It  mattered  not  to 
her  how  foolish  he  might  think  her. 

Still  holding  the  muddy  over-shoes  in 
one  hand,  while  her  damp  skirts  were 
tightly  clinched  in  the  other,  she  attempt- 
ed to  go  forward.  But  with  the  effort 
what  a  wave  of  humiliation  swept  over 
her !  Each  foot  seemed  weighted  with 


In  to  day  already  walks  to  morrow.  'l'-\ 


pounds  of  lead.  And  there,  in  front  of 
her,  stood  that  insolent  man. 

He  was  tightening  a  strap  at  his  horse's 
head.  Elsa  stole  a  look  at  him.  She 
already  knew  that  he  was  tall  and  well 
formed.  His  profile  was  good,  very  good; 
but  his  hands  were  large  and  covered 
with  detestable  freckles ;  and  when  he 
turned  and  accosted  her  again,  she 
mentally  concluded  that  the  face  was  not 
a  frank  one.  It  could  not  be  read  at  a 
glance. 

UA  woman  has  always  the  privilege  of 
changing  her  mind,"  he  remarked.  uYou 
had  better  do  so  now." 

No  reply. 

Butler  fell  to  studying  Miss  Walton. 
He  coolly  wondered  how  much  of  her 
fresh  coloring  was  natural,  and  what  pro- 
portion was  due  to  the  rain.  After  a  crit- 
ical survey,  he  decided  that  her  beauty 


24  A    Natural   Scquc?ice. 

was  of  a  rare  order, — not  his  style  though. 
He  liked  a  brunette,  and  this  girl  was  a 
blonde.  Her  present  mood  was  also  at 
variance  with  the  sweet,  infantile  dispo- 
sition usually  accredited  to  girls  of  that 
type. 

His  horse  becoming  restive,  he  turned 
and  laid  a  restraining  hand  on  the  bridle. 

Metaphorically  speaking,  Miss  Walton 
ground  her  teeth  with  rage.  Why  didn't 
the  man  get  into  his  buggy  and  drive 
away?  Oh,  for  that  umbrella  !  With  it 
she  could  at  least  hide  her  face  from  his 
insolent  gaze.  Thanks,  however,  to  a 
strong  constitution,  she  could  stand  here 
as  long  as  he.  But  who  would  have 
thought  of  such  an  exasperating  scene  as 
this  taking  place?  And  it  wouldn't  have 
happened  anywhere  but  in  a  little  frontier 
city.  The  men  here  were  so  rude  and 
uncultured  ! 


In  to  day  already  walks  to  morrow.          '2^ 

O  Elsa !  and  only  two  days  before  you 
had  remarked  to  Martha  that  the  gentle- 
men you  had  met  in  Phoenix  were  deserv- 
ing of  that  epithet  in  a  high  sense. 

"  It  must  be  nearly  time  for  the  ring- 
ing of  the  ten  minutes'  bell,  "  she  thought. 
As  proof  of  this  there  came  resounding 
upon  the  air  its  first  peal.  It  increased 
the  annoyance  which  she  had  been  culti- 
vating to  genuine  anxiety.  She,  the  per- 
sonification of  punctuality,  to  be  late  to 
school !  She  wished  she  hadn't  been  so 
foolish  in  the  first  place.  But  now ! 

More  imperatively  sounded  that  warn- 
ing bell. 

A  way  of  escape  from  her  dilemma  was 
suggested  to  her  mind;  it  gained  tangible 
form.  It  was  possible  to  accept  a  seat  in 
his  carriage,  and  yet  save  her  maidenly 
dignity. 


26  A    Natural   Sequence. 

Very  condescending  was  the  tone  in 
which  she  addressed  him:  "  Mr.  Butler, 
owing  to  yonr  importunings,  you  have 
delayed  me,  until  I  very  much  fear 
that  I  cannot  reach  my  destination  by 
the  hour  of  nine.  Tardiness  is  a  short- 
coming that  I  do  not  excuse  in  my  pupils, 
therefore  I  must  not  appear  late  before 
them.  I  should  have  preferred  walking, 
but  now  I  shall  feel  greatly  obliged  if 
you  will  drive  me  to  the  school-building." 

"  It's  a  pity  that  you  hadn't  thought  of 
this  before;"  was  the  laconic  reply  that 
set  every  nerve  in  Elsa  tingling  with 
anger.  She  drew  herself  up  in  haughty 
silence. 

When  set  down  before  the  school-build- 
ing, she  conveyed  her  thanks  rather  curt- 
ly, and  then  hurried  within  to  the  dress- 
ing room.  Before  the  ringing  of  the  last 
bell,  there  was  hardly  time  to  remove 


Shall  learn  the  perfect  ways  of  honor.        27 

waterproof,  change  wet  shoes  for  noiseless 
slippers,  and  otherwise  make  herself  com- 
fortable for  the  morning. 

All  through  that  session  the  query : 
"  What  manner  of  man  is  he?"  would 
force  itself  into  her  mind  with  the  teach- 
ing of  numbers  and  reading. 


CHAPTER  II. 

"Those  about  her, 
From  her  shall  learn  the  perfect  ways  of  honor." 

WITH  the  advent  of  mid-summer  came 
intense  heat.  Not  the  gentlest  zephyr 
was  astir.  So  still  the  calm  that  the  very 
air  seemed  to  be  holding  its  breath  in 
admiration  of  the  varied  crops  and  ripen- 
ing fruits  fast  reaching  perfection  in  this 
sun-kissed  land. 


28  A    Natural   Sequence. 

To  northern-bred  Elsa  the  days  were 
often  oppressive.  One  evening,  after  the 
going  down  of  the  sun,  she  came  out  on 
the  veranda,  hoping  that  it  might  be 
cooler  here  than  indoors.  Within  the 
house,  too,  her  thoughts  reverted  more 
frequently  to  Martha  who,  in  company 
with  other  of  Miss  Walton's  friends,  was 
out  of  the  city.  Thinking  upon  these 
absent  ones  brought  up  pictures  of 
shady  forests,  flashing  streams,  and 
winds,  moisture  laden.  Elsa  imagined 
the  delight  of  being  with  them  in  some 
sylvan  retreat  or  by  the  "  cool  sea- 


waves." 


The  thought  had  in  it  no  element  of 
discontent.  Her  critical  and  creative 
powers  weighed  circumstances  and  always 
found  happiness  in  immediate  environ- 
ments. The  air  of  Phoenix  might  be  dry 
and  warm,  but  it  was  laden  with  spicy 


Shall  learn  the  perfect  ways  of  honor.        29 

odors  of  figs,  grapes,  peaches  and  other 
delicious  fruits,  while  every  table  and 
bracket  within  doors  held  vases  and  bowls 
of  fragrant  roses.  Furthermore,  "  the 
august  three"  had  met  the  preceding 
night  and  decreed  that  she  and  Martha 
should  be  two  of  the  few  public  school- 
teachers retained  for  the  coming  year. 
After  standing  for  thirteen  full  weeks  on 
the  rickety  fence  of  uncertainty,  it  was 
as  good  as  a  breeze  from  the  sea-shore  to 
be  allowed  to  get  down.  Taking  all 
things  into  consideration  there  was  much 
to  be  thankful  for. 

In  this  comfortable  frame  of  mind,  she 
strolled  down  the  path,  and  across  the 
road  and  the  vacant  lot  beyond,  to  the 
home  of  her  friend,  Mrs.  Anson. 

Before  the  house  stretched  a  broad  lawn 
divided  by  a  wide  gravel  walk.  Over  this 
had  been  built  an  arbor,  now  covered  with 


30  A    Natural   Sequence. 

luxuriant  grape-vines  from  which  hung 
the  ripened  fruit.  Her  observant  eyes 
singling  out  an  especially  fine  bunch  of 
the  purple  globes,  Elsa  possessed  herself 
of  it  and  another  that  seemed  equally  as 
good. 

With  these  in  her  hand,  she  came  to 
the  open  door.  The  electric  light  at  the 
entrance  of  the  porch  was  ablaze,  illu- 
minating, however,  only  the  adjacent  por- 
tion of  the  long  central  hall  that  served 
as  a  family  sitting  room.  Beyond  was 
shadow. 

Elsa  paused  on  the  threshold.  All 
within  was  quiet.  The  electric  fan  on 
the  table  at  the  rear  of  the  room  was  in 
motion ;  the  breezes  that  it  made  stirred 
the  pink  roses  at  her  belt,  and  blew  astray 
the  soft,  damp  locks  on  her  fore-head. 
The  currents  of  air  were  so  refreshing 
that  she  remained  standing  motionless. 


Shall  learn  the  perfect  ways  of  honor.        31 

The  graceful  pose  of  the  youthful  fig- 
ure, the  happy  expression  of  the  flushed 
face,  and  statuesque  turn  of  the  shapely 
head  made  her  a  pleasing  picture.  At 
least  so  thought  the  gentleman  who,  un- 
seen, watched  her  from  the  lounging 
chair  placed  where  the  shadows  were 
deepest. 

After  a  short  space  of  time,  Elsa 
knocked  at  the  door.  No  one  appearing 
in  answer  to  her  rap,  she  turned  to  go 
away.  Donald  Butler  strode  out  into  the 
light.  Elsa  heard  the  step  and  faced 
around. 

"Why  don't  you  scream?"  was  his 
abrupt  greeting. 

"What  for?"  the  girl  asked  wonder- 
ingly. 

uAt  sight  of  me." 

Elsa  gave  an  amused  laugh.  "  I 
didn't  know  that  the  appearance  of  an 


32  A    Natural  Sequence. 


ordinary  man  struck  terror  to  a  maiden's 
heart,"  she  returned  gaily. 

The  words  uan  ordinary  man"  were 
ambiguous,  and  the  expression  made 
Donald  feel  uncomfortable. 

u  But  coming  out  of  the  shadows  when 
you  thought  the  room  was  vacant,"  he 
continued. 

The  man  was  in  a  mood  for  companion- 
ship, and  had  no  idea  of  letting  a  pretty 
girl  go,  so  long  as  he  could  hold  her  in 
conversation,  especially  one  in  whom  his 
interest  had  been  already  aroused.  Miss 
Walton  had  been  in  his  thoughts  many 
times  since  the  adventure  of  that  rainy 
day. 

Elsa  laughed  again.  "If  your  great 
grandfather  had  as  suddenly  appeared 
before  my  great  grandmother  she  would, 
undoubtedly,  have  been  much  alarmed. 
We  girls  of  today  are  braver,  because  we 


Shall  learn  the  perfect  ways  of  honor.        33 

are  wiser;  we  know  that  a  dark  place 
is  quite  likely  to  hold  a  man,"  she  con- 
cluded archly. 

Hardly  were  the  words  spoken  when 
she  felt  sorry  for  their  utterance. 

Butler  gladly  took  them  up.  "And 
the  woman  he  sees  within  the  light  is 
the  magnet  that  draws  him  from  the 
darkness.  It  is  a  cause  for  congratu- 
lation, that  you  understand  so  well  the 
mission  of  your  sex." 

"What  you  say  is  not  true,"  cried  this 
would-be  opponent.  "A  man  worthy  of 
the  name  is  prompted  by  his  own  self- 
respect  to  'seek  the  light/ ' 

"But  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  it  is  a 
woman's  influence  that  draws  him  within 
that  charmed  circle,"  went  on  Butler. 
Here  was  not  only  a  chance  to  air  his 
pet  theory,  but  to  hear  what  this  bright- 


34  A    Natural   Sequence. 

looking  girl  might  have  to  say  on  the 
subject. 

Elsa  moved  away.  "As  your  aunt, 
Mrs.  Anson,  is  not  at  home,  I  think  I 
must  take  my  leave,"  was  what  she  said. 

The  hat-rack  was  at  the  left  of  Butler. 
He  reached  out  his  hand  and  took  down 
his  sombrero. 

"  I  have  been  intending  to  call  on  you, 
Miss  Walton.  I  will  walk  home  with  you 
now,"  was  the  announcement  made  as 
they  stepped  out  into  the  early,  slumb- 
rous night. 

Elsa  felt  that  the  intention  was  of  that 
moment's  growth,  and,  for  this  reason, 
said  nothing. 

"Wouldn't  you  like  to  know  that  a 
man,  for  your  sake,  would  always  stand 
in  the  light;  or,  to  do  away  with  figura- 
tive language,  always  do  what  is  right?  " 
he  persisted  softly,  when  they  were  seated 


Shall  learn  the  perfect  ways  of  honor.        35 

on  the  vine-wreathed  piazza  of  Elsa's 
temporary  home. 

"  I  should  have  only  contempt  for  the 
man  who  did  right  solely  because  / 
wished  it,"  she  answered;  and  there  was 
a  scorn  and  impatience  in  the  voice  that 
grated  harshly  on  Butler's  sensitive  ear. 

"  For  your  sake"  were  the  magic  words 
that  in  the  bright  future  were  to  make 
Donald  Butler  give  up  all  his  petty  vices, 
for  instance,  smoking.  In  the  meantime, 
well!  in  the  meantime,  he  was  no  worse 
nor  better  than  other  men.  Just  an 
average  man.  This  thought  has  been 
very  comforting  to  many  a  son  of  Adam. 

As  Elsa  made  no  further  remark, 
Butler  observed,  "  Your  remarks  are  quite 
Emersonian.  They  are  self-illumina- 


tive." 


"  Why !  are  you  a  student  of  Emerson?" 


36  A   Natural   Sequence. 

Elsa  exclaimed  in  surprise,  quite  ignor- 
ing the  irony  conveyed. 

"  I  studied  his  works  a  little — while  in 
college,"  returned  Butler.  Elsa  thought 
that  she  detected  the  bitterness  of  disap- 
pointment in  his  voice. 

It  called  to  mind  what  his  cousin, 
Myrldina  Blake,  had  told  her  one  evening 
some-time  before;  how  Butler  had  been 
obliged  to  leave  college  because  his 
father  had  failed  in  business,  and  soon 
there-after  had  sickened  and  died.  Like 
many  another  ambitious  youth,  Butler 
might  have  worked  his  way  through  his 
remaining  course ;  but  there  was  another 
to  be  provided  for.  He  declared  that  only 
in  families  where  the  men  were  sick,  lazy, 
selfish,  or  lacking  in  mental  ability,  were 
the  girls  allowed  to  fight  their  own  way 
in  the  world.  His  one  sister  should  not 
go  out  as  a  bread  winner ;  and  so  he  had 


Shall  learn  the  perfect  ways  of  honor.        37 

supported  the  two  until  she  had  married 
five  years  before.  Then,  with  his  few 
hundred  dollars,  Butler  had  come  West 
and  invested  in  ranch  property  that  had 
since  handsomely  repaid  him. 

His  chivalrous  notion  was  wholly  at 
variance  with  the  advanced(?)  ideas  of 
the  present  day.  Elsa  knew  this,  and 
yet  she  honored  the  man  for  holding  it. 
In  theory  it  sounded  very  well  to  talk  of 
a  woman  broadening  her  sphere  by  stand- 
ing shoulder  to  shoulder  with  the  sterner 
sex  in  life's  battle;  but  Elsa,  after  care- 
ful observation,  had  failed  to  discover  a 
single  instance  in  which  a  woman  had 
been  actuated  in  taking  this  position  by 
other  motives  than  those  of  dire  neces- 
sity ;  and  in  110  case  had  this  free  contact 
with  the  world  added  one  grace  to  woman- 
liness. 


38  A    Natural  Sequence. 

Thus  thinking,  Elsa,  herself,  may 
have  been  a  trifle  old-fashioned ;  but  it  is 
said  that  the  world  is  moving  in  a  circle ; 
and  there  are  others,  more  enlightened 
than  these  two  persons,  who  hold  to  the 
same  opinion. 

From  these  considerations,  Elsa's  heart 
grew  strangely  soft  and  she  felt  ready  to 
forgive  this  man  much. 

He  had  become  taciturn,  and  she  ex- 
erted all  her  powers  to  entertain  him ;  tell- 
ing bright  anecdotes,  talking  of  the  topics 
of  the  day,  and  relating  bits  of  local 
gossip ;  all  with  a  brilliancy  and  sparkle  of 
word  and  manner  that  held  enthralled 
the  man  sitting  opposite. 

"By  the  way,  I  received  a  call  from 
Mr.  Lord  the  other  evening,"  she  sud- 
denly announced. 

"  He  is  a  noble  fellow,  cordial  and  un- 
selfish," cried  Butler  with  enthusiasm. 


Shall  Learn  the  perfect  ways  of  honor.        39 

"  I  have  proof  of  that,"  responded  Elsa. 
"One  day  last  winter  Miss  Coggeshall  and 
myself  went  into  the  bank  where  he  is 
employed,  'to  soak  a  school  warrant.' v 

"  To  soak  a  school  warrant ! "  exclaimed 
her  caller. 

"  Yes,  to  soak  a  school  warrant,"  re- 
peated the  girl,  a  charming  gaiety  in  her 
voice  and  manner.  u  The  expression 
may  be  slangy,  but  it  is  so  commonly 
used  here  that  one  doesn't  think  of  that." 

"  I  wasn't  thinking  of  its  correctness 
but  wondering  what  you  could  mean 
by  it." 

"  As  if  you  didn't  know !"  Elsa  cried 
incredulously. 

"  I  do  not,"  he  said  with  sincerity. 

"  Well  then,  Mr.  Innocent,  I  will  ex- 
plain. At  the  end  of  each  month,  the 
school  teachers  are  given  what  are  termed 
'  warrants.'  During  the  months  of  Sep- 


40  A    Natural   Sequence. 

tember,  October,  and  November,  there  is 
but  very  little  money  in  the  treasury. 
Consequently,  for  the  last  two  years,  the 
teachers  have  been  unable  to  obtain  their 
wages  until  the  latter  part  of  December ; 
so,  if  one  has  no  money  and  has  needed 
it  badly,  she  has  taken  a  warrant  to  a 
bank,  given  it  to  the  cashier  as  security, 
and  received  for  it  something  less  than 
its  face  value.  For  this  favor,  she  pays 
the  bank  one  and  a  half  cents  a  month, 
interest  when  she  receives  her  school 
money." 

"  That  is  outrageous,"  he  cried  as  she 
concluded. 

"  If  you  gentlemen  think  it  outrageous, 
then  pay  your  taxes  earlier  instead  of 
loaning  the  money  at  usurious  rates  of 
interest.  It  is  this  that  obliges  us 
teachers  to  go  penniless  or — l  soak  our 
warrants. ' "  Elsa  had  arisen  as  she 


Shall  learn,  the  perfect  ways  of  honor.        41 

spoke  and  stood  facing  him  with  an  air 
of  girlish  triumph. 

The  man's  eyes  kindled  with  a  mysti- 
cal fire,  but  the  voice  was  quiet  and  com- 
posed that  asked :  "  What  did  Mr.  Lord 
have  to  do  with  your  particular  warrants?" 

With  a  twinkle  in  her  eye,  Elsa  estab- 
lished herself  again  in  her  chair  and 
answered  :  "  We  told  Mr.  Lord  that  we 
wished  to  borrow  money  on  our  warrants. 
He  took  them :  and  as  he  passed  us  the 
amount  asked  for,  he  whispered,  '  For 
goodness'  sake,  young  ladies,  don't  ever 
tell  any  one  that  I  was  mean  enough  to 
ask  you  one  and  a  half  cents  interest  per 
month.'  " 

"You  see,"  she  added  in  explanation, 
"he  had  been  here  from  the  East  only  a 
few  months  and  was  not  used  to  a  west- 
erner's way  of  doing  business;  or,  I 
might  say,  until  his  arrival  in  this  valley, 


42  A    Natural   Sequence. 

he  did  not  know  what  many  easterners 
and  westerners  do  with  their  superfluous 
cash.  We  girls  had  a  good  laugh  when 
we  got  outside,  but  we  shall  always 
remember  his  kindness." 

"When  you  need  money  again  don't 
go  to  a  bank  for  it,  but  come  to  me,"  he 
said  in  a  whirl  of  feeling. 

"  Perhaps,"  coolly  answered  Elsa. 

"I  don't  want  a  'perhaps,'  I  want  a 
promise,"  he  insisted. 

"  If  you  have  money  to  loan,  I  would  as 
soon  borrow  of  you  as  any  one,"  was  the 
reply  given  with  much  dignity. 

His  face  fell.  "You  know  that  I  did 
not  mean  it  in  that  way,"  was  the  indig- 
nant exclamation. 

"Mr.  Butler,  I  could  not  use  your 
money  unless  I  did  pay  you  interest." 

"Then  you  are  not  willing  that  I 
should  be  your  friend." 


Shall  learn  the  perfect  ways  of  honor.        43 

Elsa  laughed  softly,  but  with  evident 
amusement.  "O,  Mr.  Butler!  I  thought 
that  you  were  a  man  of  the  world,  and 
here  you  are  talking  like  a  school-boy. 
The  moment  I  become  your  debtor,  that 
moment  rises  a  barrier  between  us.  And 
as  yet  we  are  not  even  friends — only 
acquaintances." 

Butler  shifted  uneasily  his  position. 
Having  been  courted  and  admired  all 
his  life,  he  did  not  like  being  held  aloof 
in  this  practical,  sensible  way. 

Through  the  open  window,  he  caught 
sight  of  the  low  tea-table  with  its  glitter- 
ing array;  and  thinking,  as  most  men 
do,  that  a  pretty  woman  is  never  so 
charming  as  when  brewing  tea,  he  had 
a  curiosity  to  see  Elsa  thus  engaged. 

The  grapes  that  she  had  brought  from 
Mrs.  Anson's  lay  in  a  large  leaf  on  the 
settee  near  him. 


44  A    Natural   Sequence. 

"  Miss  Walton,"  he  exclaimed  sud- 
denly, "  I  could  eat  some  of  those  grapes, 
if  you  would  make  me  a  cup  of  tea." 

"  Tea" — this  warm  evening! "  said  Blsa 
with  wide-open  eyes. 

"Yes,"  gaily  returned  Butler. 

"It  is  too  warm  to  sit  within  doors. 
Will  you  help  me  to  move  the  table  out 
here  ? "  she  asked,  rising  slowly  from 
her  chair.  She  expected  that  he  would 
recall  the  expressed  wish.  He  did  not; 
and  she  passed  into  the  parlor.  Butler 
followed. 

The  table  was  brought  to  a  convenient 
place  near  Elsa's  chair,  the  alcohol  lamp 
lighted,  and  before  long  the  man  held  in 
his  hand  a  cup  of  fragrant  tea. 

Elsa  sat  wholly  within  the  light  that 
came  from  the  illuminated  interior,  while 
his  chair  was  partly  in  the  shadow. 
From  this  position,  he  could  scrutinize 


Shall  learn  the  perfect  ways  of  honor.        45 

closely  every  detail  of  her  dress,  every 
movement  of  her  plump  hands,  and  every 
expression  of  her  winsome  face. 

Unconscious  of  it  all,  Elsa  poured  and 
passed  him  the  refreshing  beverage,  met 
his  wit  with  apt  repartee,  and  otherwise 
played  the  perfect  part  of  a  well-bred 
hostess. 

The  time  passed  rapidly, — too  rapidly, 
her  caller  thought.  As  he  said  "  good 
evening,"  he  lingered  a  moment  with  one 
foot  on  the  lower  step.  Elsa  stood  on 
the  veranda,  looking  down  upon  him. 
He  opened  his  lips  as  if  to  speak,  then 
turned  abruptly,  and  in  .a  moment  she 
heard  the  gate  close  behind  him. 


46  A    Natural   Sequence. 


CHAPTER  III. 

"O,  for  a  beaker  full  of  the  warm  South!" 

Where  sunshine  revels  nearly  all  the 
year,  there  must  be  much  of  merry- 
making. One  autumnal  day  a  long- 
talked-of  picnic  excursion  was  made  to 
"The  Hole  in  the  Rock."  The  eight 
girls  composing  the  party  were  up 
betimes,  and  had  met  at  the  Tempe 
road  by  seven  o'clock.  All  were  well 
mounted  and  good  riders.  Four  abreast, 
they  kept  a  st.eady,  even  lope ;  passing 
the  happy  homes  of  ranchers  set  within 
green  fields  of  alfalfa;  pausing  awhile  at 
the  Arizona  Fall  to  admire  the  flashing, 
foaming  volume  of  water  that  plunges 
down  with  rush  and  roar;  looking  with 
beauty  loving  eyes  upon  the  "  Orange 


O.for  a  beaker  full  of  the  warm  South!      47 

Orchard"  turned  by  the  sun's  rays  into 
gardens  of  golden  glow ;  and  then  canter- 
ing across  the  dreary  desert  with  its  tall 
cacti  standing  like  grim  sentinels.  Pres- 
ently, they  ascended  a  little  rise,  bristling 
with  mesquite  and  sage-brush,  and  the 
shadow  of  uThe  Rock"  was  reached. 

After  caring  for  the  ponies  and  horses, 
some  sought  the  broad,  high  arch  that 
nature  has  hewn  out  of  this  stupendous 
crag;  while  the  more  adventuresome 
scaled  the  perpendicular  rocks  at  the 
left;  and  from  the  dizzy  summit,  enjoyed 
a  bird's-eye  view  of  the  country.  When 
tired  of  this  pastime,  they  descended  to 
join  the  group  that  was  making  the  cave- 
like  opening  at  the  south  echo  and 
re-echo  with  snatches  of  song  and  light 
or  serious  conversation,  as  best  suited 
their  varying  moods. 

It   was    here   that   Mrs.   Anson  found 


48  A    Natural   Sequence. 

them.  That  they  might  come  horse- 
back, she  had  kindly  consented  to  bring 
the  luncheons  in  her  roomy  carriage. 
Shouts  of  welcome  greeted  her  arrival; 
for  this  tall,  graceful  woman,  whose  gray 
eyes  were  luminous  with  good  will  and 
happiness,  was  a  universal  favorite. 
Many  hands  and  merry  hearts  made 
quick  work  of  unpacking  the  inviting 
collation.  It  was  spread  on  a  white  cloth 
under  the  purple  awning  of  the  over- 
hanging crag. 

At  the  conclusion  of  their  feast,  some 
one  suggested  toasts,  and  Elsa  Walton 
was  made  mistress  of  ceremonies.  To 
blue-eyed  Bell  was  given  "The  Homes  of 
Phoenix."  The  girl  arose  somewhat 
reluctantly ;  but  quickness  of  thought 
soon  dispelled  all  embarrassment,  and 
only  a  moment  intervened  before  she 
responded : 


O,for  a  beaker  full  of  the  warm  South!      49 

"At  first  it  seemed  surprising  that  my 
name  should  be  called  to  answer  to  this 
toast;  but  on  second  thought  I  am  sure 
it  is  eminently  fitting.  I  came  here  only 
a  few  short  months  ago ;  and  yet,  I  can 
truly  say,  that  never  for  a  moment  have 
I  felt  as  a  stranger  in  a  strange  land. 
The  doors  of  your  hospitable  homes  are 
ever  open  to  the  sojourners  who  find 
their  way  here  in  search  of  health  or 
pleasure.  As  one  of  them,  I  thank  you 
for  the  many  kindnesses  shown  these 
visitors. 

Your  home  makers  also  deserve  great- 
est praise  for  causing  to  disappear  our 
ancient  relative  —  the  family  skeleton. 
The  house  of  adobe  or  wood  has  no 
narrow  recess  wherein  can  hide  this 
unsightly  form.  Clothing  can  safely 
hang  behind  graceful  drapery ;  but  the 
family  skeleton  craves  more  seclusion. 


50  A   Natural  Seqiience. 

Forced  to  live  in  light  and  air,  he 
becomes  clothed  in  flesh  and  blood ;  or, 
moping  behind  silken  curtains,  he  weak- 
ens and  crumbles  into  dust.  Let  us 
drink  to  the  hope  that  the  Southern 
Pacific  railroad  company  may  always,  as 
now,  charge  such  high  rates  for  bringing 
lumber  into  Phoenix,  that  its  inhabitants 
can  never  afford — closets." 

A  burst  of  applause  followed  this 
speech. 

"I  had  no  idea  that  the  railroad  was 
such  a  blessing  in  disguise,"  commented 
one. 

"  It  is  a  bigger  one  than  you  think," 
quickly  added  another.  "  It  keeps  our 
merchants  from  failure.  Their  prices 
are  exorbitant ;  but  each  George  Wash- 
ington of  them  declares  that  this  is  due 
to  the  high  freight  charges.  Were  this 
not  so,  these  generous  creatures  would 


(9,  for  a  beaker  full  of  the  warm  South!      51 

sell  their  goods  so  low  that  before  long 
they  would  have  (to  shut  up  shop.'  The 
Southern  Pacific  acts  as  a  sort  of  balance 
wheel,  thus  preventing  such  an  awful 
catastrophe." 

Elsa  now  announced  "  The  Coming 
Sanitarium,"  to  which  Mrs.  Anson  replied 
in  chosen  and  well  fitting  words. 

Following  this,  was  given  uThe  Sons 
of  Phoenix." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  Miss  Toastmis- 
tress,"  quickly  interposed  mischievous 
Edith,  "  but  wouldn't  it  be  more  fun  to 
fill  a  cup  to  uThe  Bachelors  of  Phoenix?" 

"  It  would  do  equally  as  well,"  replied 
Elsa,  whose  merry  smile  answered  the 
sparkle  in  Edith's  dancing  eye.  "Who 
shall  respond  to  that  toast?" 

"  Myrldina,"  promptly  returned  Edith. 

"Catch  me  replying  to  that"  was  Myrl- 
dina's  inelegant  retort.  "I  hate  them 


52  A    Natural   Sequence. 

too  badly.  If  I  had  my  way,  they  should 
every  one  be  put  on  a  reservation." 

"And  why?  "  inquired  slender,  attract- 
ive Esther  Fairfax,  whose  dark,  limpid 
eyes  had  made  more  than  one  man 
willing  to  risk  the  shoals  and  quicksands 
of  married  life. 

Saucy,  piquant  Myrldina  flashed  her 
blue  eyes  around  the  bright  group, 
tossed  back  her  golden  head  with  a  little 
proud  gesture,  and  sagely  remarked,  "  I 
could  tell  a  great  deal  if  I  chose. " 

"Myrldina!  Myrldina!"  reprovingly 
sounded  her  aunt's  voice. 

But  this  spoiled  girl  —  whose  father 
and  mother  were  away  on  an  ocean 
voyage,  leaving  their  daughter  in  Mrs. 
Anson's  care — was  in  a  mutinous  frame 
of  mind  and  had  no  idea  of  heeding  the 
warning. 

Clasping   her  hands  about  her  knees, 


O,  for  a  beaker  full  of  the  warm  South!      53 

she  spoke  in  a  peculiarly  low,  vibrating 
voice,  which  was,  perhaps,  her  greatest 
charm :  "  I  think  it  is  something  you  all 
ought  to  know.  To  begin  at  the  begin- 
ning, some  time  last  June  I  was  alone  at 
Aunt  Margarette  Anson's.  Cousin  Don- 
ald came  in  with  Mr.  Ewing  and  Mr. 
Lord.  They  didn't  have  any  better  man- 
ners than  to  smoke  in  my  presence,  and 
soon  the  room  was  so  filled  with  the 
horrid  fumes  that  they  couldn't  see  me; 
at  least  I  think  they  couldn't,  because 
they  began  talking  about  girls  and  get- 
ting married,  the  same  as  if  I  wasn't 
there." 

"  Perhaps  they  thought  you  were  too 
young  to  heed  what  they  might  say," 
suggested  some  one. 

"  Well !  "  exclaimed  Myrldina,  "  if  I'm 
too  young  to  be  of  any  consequence,  I'm 
not  too  young  to  talk."  Then  returning 


54  A    Natural   Sequence. 

to  her  subject:  "You  would  have  thought 
from  what  they  said,  that  all  the  girls  of 
the  whole  United  States  were  sitting  in  a 
row  and  meekly  waiting  for  those  two 
older  men  to  take  their  pick — Mr.  Lord 
didn't,  have  much  to  say.  Mr.  Bwing 
said  that  he  would  be  glad  to  marry  if 
he  were  sure  of  getting  a  girl  who  was 
a  good  cook." 

"  Nothing  wrong  in  that,  Myrldina," 
pleasantly  interposed  Mrs.  Anson.  "You 
know  it  is  a  demonstrated  truth  that 
a  man's  heart  is  reached  through  his 
stomach." 

"More's  the  disgrace  to  them,"  growled 
her  niece. 

Again  she  resumed  the  thread  of  her 
discourse  :  "  Donald  remarked  that  he 
wanted  to  marry  a  girl  with  a  low  voice 
and  one  who  could  preside  gracefully 
over  the  table. 


(9,  for  a  beaker  full  of  the  warm  Soutli!      .V> 

He  said  that  if  he  must  sit  opposite 
her,  three  times  a  day,  for  perhaps  thirty 
years,  he  wanted  to  be  sure  she  under- 
stood her  business.  And  then,  worst  of 
all,  they  agreed  to  call  on  the  young 
ladies  of  their  acquaintance,  get  each 
one  of  them  to  serve  refreshments,  and 
then  take  a  vote  as  to  which  one  was 
prettiest  and  who  made  the  best  cup  of 
tea. 

Now  if  they  do  call,  don't  you  give 
them  a  single  thing — eatable  or  drinka- 
ble," was  the  admonition  of  this  adviser 
who  had  recently  celebrated  her  sixteenth 
birthday. 

There  were  ominous  gleams  in  the 
eyes  of  some  of  her  listeners,  while  the 
faces  of  others  showed  that  they  were 
inclined  to  treat  the  whole  thing  as  a 
huge  joke. 

As  soon  as  Myrldina  had  done  speak- 


56  A    Natural  Sequence. 

ing,  Elsa,  to  prevent  any  discussion  on 
what  had  been  said,  turned  to  Clara  Gray 
and  requested  that  she  reply  to  the  toast 
suggested  by  Miss  Edith. 

Clara  divined  Elsa's  intent  and  arose 
at  once : 

"That  the  city  is  infested  with  bach- 
elors cannot  be  denied  ;  but  we  need  not 
give  one  thought  as  to  what  shall  be 
done  with  them.  Like  the  Indians,  they 
might  be  put  on  reservations ;  but  they 
are  hardly  worth  the  expense  that  would 
have  to  be  incurred.  Cupid  is  sure  to 
invade  the  Salt  River  Valley,  and  before 
his  shower  of  arrows,  these  singular 
creatures  must  make  way  for  a  higher 
order  of  beings.  We  will  not  drink  to 
the  bachelors  of  Phoenix,  but  to  the  hus- 
bands following  their  exodus." 

Much  *  laughter  followed  this  unex- 
pected response. 


O,  for  a  beaker  full  of  the  warm  South!      57 

"  Will  Martha  answer  to  '  The  Daugh- 
ters of  Phoenix?'"  graciously  asked  their 
toastmistress. 

"  In  justice  to  the  bachelors,  this  toast 
should  be  to  the  old  maids,"  said  Grace 
Huyson. 

"  I  agree  with  you,"  answered  Elsa. 

Martha  raised  her  glass  and  answered: 

"The  subject  given  me  is  one  of  which 
we  know  nothing.  The  old  maids  of 
Phoenix  are  but  a  myth  ;  for,  if  such  had 
ever  existed,  this  highly  oxygenated  air 
would  have  restored  to  them  the  bloom 
of  sweet  sixteen.  Phoenix  can  never 
have  old  maids — only  jewels  shining 
with  such  brilliancy  that  they  need  not 
the  setting  of  matrimony  to  enhance  their 
lustre.  But  if  fate  decrees  for  them  these 
bands,  may  they  be  of  gold  and  not  of 
brass." 

"  Eighteen  carats  fine,"  added  one  gay 


58  A    Natural  Sequence. 

voice  as  their  glasses  were  set  on  the 
cloth. 

"Oh,  no !  "  exclaimed  another,  "that's 
too  fine  for  wearing  use ;  fourteen  carats 
fine  will  do  nicely." 

To  Esther  Fairfax  was  given  the  con- 
cluding toast  of  "  Love." 

Could  it  be  that  she  was  wholly  uncon- 
scious of  the  knowledge  that  this  divine 
god  was  even  then  drawing  near  ? 

Mrs.  Hamilton — Mrs.  Anson's  sister — 
had  also  been  invited  to  accompany  these 
girls  on  their  excursion.  A  previous 
engagement  had  prevented.  At  the  noon 
hour  she  remarked  this  to  her  husband, 
and  then  added  that  it  would  be  pleasant 
to  go  out  and  spend  the  evening  with 
them. 

"Why  don't  you  go,  then?"  mentioned 
her  husband. 


(),  for  a  beaker  full  of  the  warm  South!      59 


"I  don't  like  to  go  alone,"  replied  Mrs. 
Hamilton. 

"  If  you  will  go  horse-back,  I  think 
that  Lord  will  go  with  you ;  said  Mr. 
Hamilton.  "I  can  let  you  know  in  about 
thirty  minutes." 

Thus  saying,  he  put  on  his  sombrero 
and  returned  to  the  bank,  where  he  found 
his  assistant  cashier  busily  engaged  in 
writing.  Hamilton  went  directly  to  the 
cashier's  desk  and  began  counting  the 
gold  coin  there.  In  a  few  minutes  he 
stepped  to  the  telephone  and  asked  for 
connection  with  No.  13.  (This  happened 
many  times  daily,  for  No.  13  connected 
with  his  own  private  residence.)  Lord 
paid  no  attention  to  the  one-sided  conver- 
sation, until  his  employer  said  in  a  voice 
that  might  have  burst  the  transmitter  : 
"At  what  hour  do  you  wish  Lord  to 


60  A    Natural   Sequence. 

escort  you,  horse-back,  to  '  The  Hole  in 
the  Rock?'  " 

At  this,  Lord  threw  down  his  pen  in 
consternation,  and  exclaimed :  "  Great 
guns  !  what  are  you  up  to  now  ?" 

"  I  was  merely  inquiring  at  what  time 
my  wife  wished  you  to  escort  her  to  the 
picnic,"  replied  Hamilton,  with  an  air  of 
injured  innocence. 

"Great  guns  !"  again  exclaimed  Lord, 
"I  can't  ride  a  horse.  I  never  tried  to 
but  once,  and  then  the  ugly  beast  threw 
me  into  the  air  and  I  landed  in  the  irri- 
gating canal.  Tell  her — tell  her — "  and 
this  young  man,  fresh  from  an  Eastern 
college,  stalked  rapidly  around  the  room 
in  a  vain  endeavor  to  frame  a  sentence 
refusing  the  request  of  Mrs.  Hamilton, 
and  yet  one  that  should  in  no  way  wound 
the  feelings  of  the  lady  who  had  been 
very  kind  to  him. 


(9,  for  a  beaker  full  of  the  warm  South!      01 

"Great  guns !  great  guns !"  he  repeated. 
"A  pretty  escort  I  shall  make,  when  I 
can't  even  stay  on  one  of  the  four-legged 
brutes/' 

"  Halloo !  what  is  all  this  about,  and 
why  that  wild  look  in  your  eyes?"  said 
Donald  Butler,  who  had  come  in  just  in 
time  to  hear  Lord's  last  remark. 

"Our  mutual  friend  is  going  to'  escort 
Mrs.  Hamilton  to  'The  Hole  in  the 
Rock ; '  he  is  wondering  where  he  can 
find  a  steed  worthy  of  his  horsemanship," 
was  Mr.  Hamilton's  explanation. 

Butler  took  in  the  situation  at  once. 
He  had  just  come  from  his  Aunt  Louise 
Hamilton's,  and  there  had  heard  of  the 
picnic.  His  small,  deep-set  eyes  twinkled 
as  he  said :  "  It  is  a  shame  to  waste  so 
much  sweetness  on  the  desert  air,  and  I 
propose  that  Ewing  and  I  make  an  addi- 


62  A    Natural   Sequence. 

tional  escort  for  Aunt  Louise  to  that 
enchanted  ground." 

He  found  Ewing  in  his  office.  This 
man  pleaded  business,  but  Donald  car- 
ried the  day. 

In  spite  of  Lord's  belief  that  it  was 
flying  in  the  face  of  Providence  to  ride 
horse-back,  when  carriages  were  availa- 
ble, the  four  climbed  the  rise  just  as  one 
original  girl  had  propounded  a  puzzling 
riddle. 

Mrs.  Anson  felt  a  little  uneasiness  on 
seeing  who  were  among  the  late  arrivals ; 
but  she  soon  found  there  was  no  cause 
for  fear.  If  these  young  ladies  had  felt 
disposed  to  treat  Mr.  Ewing  and  Mr. 
Btitler  with  other  than  cordiality,  their 
good  breeding  would  have  over-ruled  the 
impulse  to  resent  a  fancied  insult. 

"  How  nice  that  you  changed  your 
mind  and  decided  to  join  us— even  at  this 


O.for  a  beaker  full  of  the  warm  South!      63 

hour,"  said  Esther  Fairfax,  extend- 
i  i.  i  hand  to  Mrs.  Hamilton. 

"And  are  not  the  rest  of  us  welcome?  " 
cried  Ewing,  looking  steadily  into  the 
dark  orbs  that  had  proved  maelstroms  to 
numerous  masculine  hearts. 

"  Indeed,  you  are  all  most  welcome," 
replied  Esther,  quickly  turning  aside 
from  his  earnest  gaze. 

The  remnants  of  the  luncheon  packed 
away,  they  separated  into  groups  of  three 
and  four ;  some  going  in  search  of  suita- 
ble cacti  with  which  to  make  napkin 
rings,  and  others  again  seeking  the  semi- 
circular opening  where  a  cooling  breeze 
is  always  circulating. 

Elsa  wandered  away  by  herself.  After 
a  little  she  sat  down  in  a  niche  of  the 
rocky  wall,  and  looked  away  to  the 
mountains  glowing  with  their  ever-chang- 
ing hues  caught  from  the  luminous  air. 


64  A    Natural   Sequence. 

But  now  she  saw  no  beauty  in 
Her  thoughts  were  upon  that  July  even- 
ing, and  the  idle  talk  repeated  to-day  by 
Myrldina.  The  girl  was  vexed  with 
herself  for  her  polite  treatment  of  Mr. 
Butler  at  that  time.  "And  yet,"  she 
mused,  "  I  could  do  no  differently.  He 
was  my  guest,  and  so  I  was  bound  by 
all  the  laws  of  hospitality  to  make  the 
hour  pleasant  for  him." 

There  were  approaching  footsteps. 
Elsa  heard  the  sound  and  turned  her 
head  to  see  the  object  of  her  meditations 
drawing  near. 

Donald  Butler  had  come  to  "  The  Hole 
in  the  Rock  "  for  the  express  purpose  of 
seeing  and  talking  with  Elsa  Walton. 
He  had  never  repeated  the  call  of  that 
mid-summer  evening.  Elsa  was  without 
money  and  without  influence.  The 
future  Mrs.  Butler  must  have  both.  But 


O,  for  a  beaker  full  of  the  warm  South!      65 

this  peerless  girl  ought  to  marry,  and 
there  were  men  in  the  city  who,  in  place 
of  logical  bumps,  possessed  those  old- 
fashioned  organs  called  hearts.  He 
would  not  stand  in  their  way ;  but  there 
could  come  no  harm  from  paying  her 
court  —  so  long  as  the  public  did  not 
become  cognizant  of  the  fact.  This  pic- 
nic provided  a  way  of  meeting  her — 
apparently  without  premeditation. 

Coming  near,  Butler  removed  his  broad 
hat  and  leaned  carelessly  against  the 
gray  stone.  He  felt  at  a  loss  for  words. 

It  was  Elsa  who  broke  the  quiet.  "  I 
wonder  why  that  mountain  yonder  is 
called  Superstition?  "  she  asked,  pointing 
with  one  white  finger  toward  the  highest 
peak,  whose  crest  was  transfigured  with 
a  rosy  radiance  caught  from  the  broad 
streams  of  light. 

"  Beyond  that  mountain  is  the  home  of 


66  A    Natural   Sequence. 


the  Apaches,"  replied  Butler.  "  Owing 
to  some  rite  of  their  religion,  they  dare 
not  cross  that  mountain  and  descend  into 
this  valley  ;  and  for  this  reason,  the  Salt 
River  Valley  has  never  been  invaded  by 
that  warlike  tribe." 

This  bit  of  conversation  was  followed 
by  an  awkward  pause. 

Butler  threw  himself  down  on  the 
ground  where  he  could  furtively  watch, 
her  face.  It  looked  perplexed  and 
troubled.  There  was  also  a  coldness 
about  the  girl  that  illy  accorded  with  the 
womanly  side  of  her  character  revealed 
at  their  last  meeting. 

"I  go  into  California  to-morrow,"  he 
broke  out.  u  I  shall  be  gone  three  or 
four  months." 

'"Shall  you?  "  politely  responded  Elsa. 

Her  indifference  nettled  him.  He 
resolved  to  make  a  bold  move.  "I  will 


(9,  for  a  beaker  full  of  the  warm  South!      67 

write  to  you.  You  will  answer  my  letter?" 

"  I  never  write  to  any  of  my  gentleman 
acquaintances,"  replied  Miss  Walton, 
rising  to  her  feet. 

Butler  was  stung  to  the  quick.  There 
came  over  him  a  strong  desire  to  break 
down  the  barrier  of  chilly  reserve  between 
himself  and  this  girl.  "  Why  will  you 
persist  in  calling  me  a  mere  acquaint- 
ance? I  would  like  to  be  your  friend," 
he  pleaded. 

The  careless  remarks  repeated  by 
Myrldina  were  still  uppermost  in  Elsa's 
mind;  she  felt  half  ashamed  that  these 
should  influence  her,  yet  she  made  no 
effort  to  conquer  the  weakness. 

This  was  evident  in  her  reply.  "A 
girl  who  goes  alone  into  a  strange  city 
should  use  caution.  How  do  I  know  that 
you  are  worthy  of  a  girl's  friendship?  " 

The  desirable  parti  and  lineal  descend- 


68  A    Natural   Sequence. 

ant  of  a  departed  president  caught  his 
breath.  The  audacity  of  the  girl ! 
Springing  to  her  side,  he  rejoined  haugh- 
tily :  "  My  appearance  and  my  standing 
in  the  community  are,  I  think,  sufficient 
proof  of  my  worth. " 

"  Those  go  to  make  up  a  reputation," 
she  assented.  "  But  what  chance  have 
I  had  to  learn  anything  of  your  char- 
acter?" 

"  You  have  had  the  same  opportunities 
to  study  me  that  I  have  had  to  know 
you,"  he  said  as  crossly  as  a  sense  of  his 
manhood  would  allow. 

"  But  I  have  not  yet  asked  for  your 
friendship,"  she  replied  more  gently. 

True,  she  had  not. 

Without  another  word,  Donald  helped 
her  over  the  rough  ground  to  where  a 
trio  of  girls  were  shooting  arrows  at  a 
mark.  Here  he  left  her. 


(9,  for  a  beaker  full  of  the  warm  South!      69 

About  sunset,  the  excursionists  started 
homeward. 

Mr.  Bwing  joined  Miss  Fairfax.  He 
pointed  out  a  bit  of  rugged  scenery ; 
then,  dismounting,  plucked  a  small  flower 
and  eulogized  upon  its  beauty. 

The  voices  of  the  party  became  lost  in 
the  distance.  This  had  been  his  plan. 

Alone  with  Esther — what  joy  ! 

Again  he  mounted,  and  their  horses 
paced  slowly  side  by  side.  A  restraining 
hand  grasped  Esther's  bridle  rein. 

"  Do  you  know  why  I  came  out  here 
this  evening?  "  asked  Levi  Ewing,  gazing 
earnestly  into  her  face. 

"  Why  !  you  came  because  the  others 
did,"  stammered  Esther. 

u  I  came  because  I  learned  that  you 
were  here,"  replied  her  cavalier.  "I  love 
you.  Cannot  you  care  for  me?  " 

For  an   instant  her   heart   leapt  with 


70  A   Natural   Sequence. 

happiness, — then  sank.  Trust  her  future 
to  a  man  who  could  speak  lightly  of 
women?  No ! 

She  turned  her  eyes  away  to  the  crim- 
son glow  of  the  western  sky. 

The  impatient  lover  could  wait  no 
longer.  "  Cannot  you  be — my  wife?  "  he 
urged. 

"I  do  not  love  you,"  was  said  so  low 
that  only  a  lover  could  have  caught  the 
words. 

"  But  do  you  care  for  anyone  else?  "  he 
demanded. 

To  utter  a  denial  would  be  making  too 
great  a  concession,  so  Esther  remained 
silent. 

Levi  Ewing  let  fall  her  horse's  rein. 
Over  his  face  fell  a  shadow  of  pain,  but 
no  word  escaped  him. 

Esther  started  her  horse  into  a  lope, 
Ewing  did  likewise,  and  in  a  few  minutes 


He  shall  not  blind  his  soul  with  clay.          71 

they  came  up  with  the  body  of  the  party. 
So   idle  words,  lightly  repeated,  sepa- 
rated   these    two    hearts    cherishing    in 
reality  a  mutual  affection. 

"O  idle  words! 
Your  flight  is  ever  on 
In  heaven  darkening  the  sun. 
By  weary  journeyings  without  delay, 
Ye  wend  your  dreary  way 
Unto  the  judgment  day. 

Ill-omened  birds!" 


CHAPTER  IV. 

''''And  though  he  trip  and  fall, 
He  shall  not  blind  his  soul  with  clay" 

IT  was  not  until  January  that  Donald 
Butler  returned  from  his  trip.  The  even- 
ing following  his  arrival,  he  stretched 
himself  upon  a  couch  in  his  aunt  Marga- 
rette's  sitting-room  and  prepared  to  enjoy 
himself  in  a  domestic  way.  Myrldina 


72  A    Natural   Sequence. 

was  curled  up  in  a  big  chair  before  the 
cheery  wood  fire.  The  third  figure  in 
this  pleasing  picture  was  their  aunt,  Mrs. 
Bowman,  who  had  lately  arrived  from  the 
East.  Her  head  was  bent  low  over  a 
handsome  bureau  scarf  into  which  she 
was  putting  the  last  stitches. 

After  a  time,  assuming  an  upright 
posture,  she  glanced  severely  at  the 
full-length  figure  of  her  nephew,  and 
exclaimed:  "Donald  Butler,  I  should  like 
to  know  if  you  are  never  going  to  marry ! 
Here  am  I  sitting  up  nights  and  ruining 
my  eyes  that  your  rooms  at  the  ranch 
may  be  presentable ;  you  should  have  a 
wife  to  attend  to  these  things." 

"Aunt  Henrietta  Josephine,  if  you 
really  think  I  need  such  an  incumbrance, 
why  don't  you  pick  out  one  for  me?  " 
asked  her  nephew  with  an  air  of  great 
humility. 


He  shall  not  blind  his  soul  with  clay.         73 

"  You  would  not  marry  her  if  I  did," 
responded  that  lady  with  energy. 

Donald  chuckled.  "  I'm  too  deep  for 
any  of  you  women  folks,"  he  said  gaily. 

u  IVe  known  the  depth  of  some  people 
to  take  them  straight  down  to  the  infer- 
nal regions,"  rejoined  his  aunt  so  quickly 
and  earnestly  that  Donald  winced. 

His  Aunt  Henrietta  Josephine's  sharp 
remarks  always  made  him  uncomforta- 
ble,— to-night,  doubly  so. 

"  O,  well !  I  mean  to  marry  when  I 
find  a  girl  just  suited  to  my  mind,"  he 
said  in  a  mollifying  tone. 

With  blue  eyes  looking  dreamily  into 
the  crackling  fire,  Myrldina  began  sing- 
ing :— 

"Bachelors!  bachelors! 
We  find  them  everywhere, 
On  the  ranches,  in  the  town, 
Looking  here  and  looking-  there, 
For  a  dainty  maiden,  fair. 


74  A    Natural   Sequence. 

Each  would  have  a  pretty  wife, 

Whom  he'd  love  as  his  own  life, 

But  to  choose  aright  takes  time, 

Later,  marriage  bells  shall  chime. 

It  is  best  to  wait  awhile, 

Weigh  each  word,  each  suuny  smile, — 

Presto,  change !  the  bird  has  flown, 

And  he  has  to  live  alone, 

For  a  younger,  brighter  man 

Improves  his  chances  while  he  can. 
And  this  is  why  the  bachelors  of  P. 
Companions  are  to  'The  Old  Maids  of  Lee/  " 

Donald  sat  erect.  "  Myrldina  Blake," 
he  said  with  a  frown,  "  that  propensity 
of  yours  for  making  doggerel  is  getting 
to  be  a  regular  nuisance,  and,  for  a  girl 
of  your  age,  it  is  exceedingly  unbecom- 
ing." Thus  having  freed  his  mind, 
Donald  settled  back  again  to  his  former 
position. 

Myrldina  neither  moved  nor  replied. 
Pitching  her  voice  in  a  still  higher  key, 
she  continued : 

"And  they're  like  them,  you  can  see, 
For  they're  cross  as  cross  can  be." 


He  shall  not  blind  his  soul  with  clay.         75 

Whether  her  efforts  at  composition 
were  productions  of  the  moment,  or  made 
up  in  the  seclusion  of  her  chamber  and 
then  brought  out  as  occasion  demanded, 
no  one  knew ;  but  they  were  always 
forthcoming,  and  Donald  was  most  often 
the  victim. 

Their  aunt  laughing  heartily,  Donald 
reddened  to  his  temples,  and  drawing  a 
piece  of  money  from  his  pocket,  held  it 
towards  Myrldina,  saying :  "  Here,  I'll 
give  you  two  bits  for  committing  these 
lines  to  memory : 

'  Swans  sing  before  they  die ;  'twere  no  bad  thing 
Did  certain  persons  die  before  they  sing.'  " 

"  Thanks  for  your  offer,"'  unpertur- 
bedly  returned  the  saucy  girl,  "  but  I 
prefer  to  make  my  own  selections." 

Mrs.  Bowman  glanced  at  the  clock  on 
the  mantel.  "It  is  Hearing  time  for 
Margarette's  invited  guests  to  put  in'an 


76  A   Natural  Sequence, 

appearance,"  she  said,  "  and  I  think  that 
this  war  of  words  had  better  cease." 

Hardly  had  she  done  speaking,  when 
the  door-bell  rang. 

Myrldina  assumed  a  more  lady-like 
attitude,  Mrs.  Bowman  -laid  aside  her 
work,  and  Donald  advanced  to  the  door. 
It  was  thrown  open,  and  the  four  persons 
standing  without  were  invited  to  enter. 
The  quartette  consisted  of  Major  and 
Mrs.  Leadbetter,  young  Mr.  Lord  and 
Elsa  Walton. 

Donald  had  wondered  if  Miss  Walton 
would  come.  He  knew  that  in  all  prob- 
ability she  was  aware  of  his  return  ;  and 

i 

also  that  he  would  be  quite  likely  to 
make  one  of  this  informal  dinner  party, 
given  in  honor  of  Mr.  Lord,  who  was 
about  to  depart  for  Dakota. 

The  thought  of  staying  away,  or  of 
avoiding  Butler,  had  not  occurred  to 


He  shall  not  blind  his  soul  with  clay.         77 

Elsa ;  she  frankly  held  out  her  hand  to 
him,  and  was  as  ready  with  smile  and 
word  as  if  they  had  parted  the  best  of 
friends. 

To  Butler  this  indifference  was  a  hun- 
dred times  more  humiliating  than  any 
amount  of  stinging  sarcasm  or  freezing 
silence  could  have  been.  He  had  full 
knowledge  of  the  personal  magnetism 
and  worldly  success  that  made  him  a 
power,  and  gloried  in  them.  For  his  life, 
he  could  not  see  what  prevented  him 
from  making  an  impression  on  this 
girl. 

Mrs.  Anson  came  in  presently,  and 
received  her  guests  with  her  usual 
cordiality. 

Later,  there  were  more  arrivals.  Mr. 
Parkhurst,  and  Miss  Coggeshall  with 
Mr.  and  Mrs  Hamilton. 

After  the  dinner,  this  merry  company 


78  A    Natural   Sequence. 

encircled  the  sitting-room  fire  for  social 
converse. 

Butler  was  at  his  best.  He  was  seated 
on  a  conch  near  Martha's  chair,  and 
describing,  in  his  own  peculiar,  racy 
style,  pleasing*  little  incidents  of  his  trip. 

"  Well,  Colonel !  "  cried  their  gentle- 
manly host  to  Mr.  Parkhurst,  who  lived 
in  the  country,  "  are  the  roads  dusty 
now?  " 

"They  are  fine,"  replied  the  gentleman 
addressed. 

"Colonel,"  repeated  young  Lord,  throw- 
ing back  his  fine  head  with  a  laugh,  "  I 
wish  that  some  one  would  inform  me  as 
to  the  source  of  these  masculine  titles. 
Nearly  every  man  one  meets  in  the 
Southwest  has  one  or  more  of  these 
prefixes." 

"Easiest  thing  in  the  world  to  explain," 
cried  Donald,  his  face  alight  with  ready 


He  shall  not  blind  his  soul  with  clay.         79 

fun.  "  This  country,  as  you  know,  has 
rich  mines,  fertile  valleys,  and  awe- 
inspiring  scenery.  Well !  after  all  these 
had  been  placed  within  its  borders,  there 
yet  remained  a  large  area  devoid  of  mat- 
ter. In  a  fit  of  reckless  extravagance, 
Nature  made  good  the  vacuity  with  titles 
of  every  known  kind  and  degree ;  and  to 
every  man,  who  enters  this  enchanted 
land,  she  presents  one  of  these  marks  of 
esteem  and  declares  that  he  shall  wear 
it — willy-nilly." 

"  But  where  is  mine?  "  asked  Lord. 

"Oh !  you  lack  that  mark  distinguish- 
ing the  man  from  the  boy — a  mustache," 
answered  his  informer. 

uBut  what  about  feminine  titles?" 
piped  Myrldina. 

Oh ! "  wickedly  returned  her  cousin, 
"  Mother  Nature  knew  that  the  title  of 
*  Mrs.'  pleases  women  best." 


80  A    Natural   Sequence. 

Mrs.  Bowman's  majestic  figure  rose  to 
its  full  height.  She  had  no  idea  of  leav- 
ing her  nephew  triumphant  in  the  field  of 
wit.  "And  as  Nature's  favorite  child,  man, 
begged  for  the  privilege  of  conferring 
this  honorary  degree  upon  the  gentler 
sex,  she  kindly  left  it  in  his  hands.  Let 
us  hope,  young  man,  that  you  under- 
stand the  great  responsibility  you  have 
assumed,  and  that,  before  long,  you  will 
have  sense  enough  to  place  that  title 
where  it  belongs.  You  deserve  to  be 
fined  for  withholding  it  so  long  from  its 
proper  owner."  This  last  was  said  with 
a  mock  severity  that  sent  her  hearers 
into  convulsions  of  laughter. 

"  Never  mind  if  the  men  have  held  a 
corner  on  that  title  for  so  long  a  time," 
merrily  subjoined  Mrs.  Hamilton.  "I 
should  not  be  surprised  if  this  inventive 
age  broke  the  combine." 


He  shall  not  blind  his  soul  with  clay.         81 

"  If  anything  of  the  kind  is  attempted, 
there  will  be  war  to  the  knife,"  returned 
Donald,  who  involuntarily  looked  over  to 
Elsa. 

Before  his  keen  glance,  her  eyes 
became  veiled  by  their  silken  lashes.  It 
filled  Butler  with  a  strange,  sweet  sense 
of  exultation ;  for,  insignificant  as  had 
been  the  act,  it  gave  proof  to  the  man 
that  she  had  been  forced  to  acknowledge 
the  strength  of  his  individuality.  That 
this  was  only  for  a  brief  space  of  time 
did  not  lessen  his  triumph. 

There  was  another  beside  Donald  who 
had  seen  the  girl's  eyelids  droop.  Mrs. 
Leadbetter  raised  her  eye-glass  and 
glared  suspiciously  upon  Elsa. 

Never  had  she  looked  fairer, — a  picture 
of  blooming  youth  arrayed  in  white 
dotted  silk  cut  away  at  the  throat  in  a 
modest  square  and  outlined  with  a  soft, 


82  A   Natural   Sequence. 

rich  lace.  Her  immense  sleeves  of  latest 
fashion  came  only  to  the  elbow,  and  were 
finished  with  frills  of  the  same  fine  lace. 

Mrs.  Leadbetter's  eye-glasses  dropped 
into  her  lap.  Judging  from  the  expres- 
sion of  her  face,  the  vision  of  loveliness 
she  had  been  contemplating  was  any- 
thing but  pleasing. 

Donald  again  concentrated  his  gaze 
upon  the  girl.  His  look  was  returned 
frankly  and  calmly. 

With  a  half-sigh  of  defeat,  he  turned 
away  and  assiduously  devoted  his  atten- 
tions to  Mrs.  Leadbetter.  That  lady's 
good  humor  was  soon  restored. 

The  little  clock  upon  the  mantel 
chimed  out  the  hour  of  ten.  At  its  sound 
the  company  rose  and  donned  outside 
wraps,  for  all  were  to  accompany  Lord  to 
the  railroad  station. 

Under  cheerful  word  and   banter,  the 


He  shall  not  blind  his  soul  with  clay.         83 

men  concealed  their  regret  at  parting 
with  a  general  favorite,  while  the  women 
cautioned  him  against  the  sudden  changes 
of  weather  which  he  would  meet  in  his 
journey. 

When  they  had  reached  the  depot,  and 
it  was  nearing  time  for  the  train  to  leave, 
with  eyes  full  of  tears,  impulsive  Myrl- 
dina  held  up  her  pretty  face ;  and  what 
could  Lord  do  but  imprint  a  kiss  on  the 
willing  lips? 

And  as  history  is  valueless,  if  not  cor- 
rectly recorded,  it  must  be  confessed  that 
each  feminine  mouth  was  raised  as  its 
owner  gave  her  hand  in  parting.  And 
the  gallant  youth  accepted  graciously 
this  tribute  of  their  friendship. 

Oh,  the  courage  of  Young  America ! 
What  people  can  conquer  a  nation  whose 
young  men  possess  such  nerve  as  this? 

When   Mrs.   Alison's    guests  returned 


84  A    Natural   Sequence. 

to  her  home,  Elsa  did  not  enter  the 
house.  The  brilliancy  of  the  stars  and 
the  freshness  of  the  air  appealed  so 
strongly  to  her  that  she  sought  the 
hammock  swinging  in  a  corner  of  the 
veranda.  Into  this  she  sank,  and  gave 
herself  up  to  a  moment  of  quiet  enjoy- 
ment before  joining  the  group  within. 

Suddenly  a  window  was  raised  at  her 
left ;  and,  from  the  rustling  of  the  gar- 
ments, she  knew  that  a  woman  had  sat 
down  in  the  low  window-seat ;  then  there 
came  a  firm,  masculine  tread  that  halted 
near  by. 

u  Here  I  am,  Mrs.  Leadbetter,  at  your 
disposal,"  said  a  voice  that  Elsa  instantly 
recognized  as  belonging  to  Donald  But- 
ler. "  What  do  you  wish  of  me?  " 

"Only  to  give  you  a  little  advice,"  was 
answered  in  Mrs.  Leadbetter' s  well-known 
tones.  "  Come  now !  confess.  I  saw  you 


He  shall  not  blind  his  soul  with  clay.         85 

looking  at  Elsa  Walton  to-night  in  a  way 
that  told  your  experienced  friend  that 
you  were  on  the  verge  of  falling  in  love." 

"  And  what  of  it?  "  was  asked  somewhat 
coldly ;  for  Donald  Butler  discussed  his 
affairs  with  no  one.  He  would  not  even 
take  the  trouble  to  tell  this  interested  one 
how  entirely  wrong  were  her  surmises. 

uYou  must  not  get  angry,"  said  Mrs. 
Leadbetter  in  a  voice  meant  to  be  con- 
ciliating. "I  only  wanted  to  warn  you 
in  time  of  her  extravagance.  Have  you 
noticed  the  expensive  dress  she  has  on 
this  evening?  " 

"I  noticed  only  that  it  is  becoming  to 
the  wearer,"  replied  the  man  who,  while 
he  might  speak  slightingly  of  women  in 
the  abstract,  never  encouraged  the  slan- 
dering of  one  in  the  concrete. 

At  this  instant,  a  shape  flitted  by  the 
window. 


86  A    Natural   Sequence. 

Mrs.  Leadbetter's  position  was  such 
that  she  did  not  see  it;  but  Donald, 
standing  with  folded  arms  before  her, 
caught  sight  of  the  white  dress  and 
golden  hair. 

Like  a  thunder-bolt  from  the  clear  sky 
had  come  the  woman's  accusation  to  the 
girl's  ears.  In  her  surprise,  she  had  sat 
quiet — never  dreaming  of  eaves-dropping. 
Aroused  to  a  sense  of  her  false  position, 
she  had  hastily  sought  the  room  where 
a  hum  of  voices  told  of  more  gayety. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  guests  went 
to  their  respective  homes.  Lord's  depart- 
ure had  cast  a  damper  over  their  spirits 
which  could  not  at  once  be  laid  aside. 

After  the  retiring  of  the  family,  Donald 
lighted  his  cigar,  drew  an  easy  chair 
before  the  glowing  embers,  and,  from  its 
depth,  gave  himself  up  to  uninterrupted 
thought.  Reluctantly,  he  admitted  to 


He  shall  not  blind  his  soul  with  clay.         87 

himself  that  his  thoughts  were  under- 
going a  change.  Miss  Walton's  illumin- 
ative remarks, — as  he  had  been  pleased 
to  style  her  conversation  of  that  July 
evening — had  given  rise  to  a  train  of 
thought  to  which  the  incidents  of  to-night 
had  added  more  material. 

The  embers  were  fast  dying  out.  Two- 
thirds  of  his  cigar  had  been  consumed ; 
with  a  quick  motion  the  remainder  was 
sent  flying  into  the  grate.  Then  two 
long  strides  took  him  to  the  oak  table 
whereon  was  standing  a  box  of  Havanas 
— his  latest  purchase;  this,  with  its  con- 
tents, followed  the  solitary  weed. 

As  the  pungent  odor  ascended  into  the 
air,  Donald  exclaimed  aloud  and  half- 
deprecatingly,  "My  self-respect  alone 
advises  that.  It  isn't  for  the  sake  of 
any  girl — ideal  or  in  the  flesh."  Then 
he  added,  dropping  his  head  shame- 


88  A    Natural   Sequence. 

facedly,  "Donald  Butler,  it  is  strange 
that  you  should  live  to  this  age  before 
finding  out  that  mind  has  height  and 
breadth  as  well  as  depth." 


CHAPTER  V. 

"  The  secret  of  success  is  constancy  to  purpose." 

An  April  day  !  vaulted  sky  so  softly 
blue  that  no  misty  wreaths  of  fleecy  love- 
liness were  needed  to  enhance  its  beauty; 
purple  mountains  crowned  with  resplend- 
ent jewels  by  the  lavish  sun-god ;  on- 
stretching  fields  of  glossy  alfalfa,  in  the 
midst  of  which  waded,  knee-deep,  herds  of 
sweet-breathed  kine  and  steeds  of  noble 
pedigree ;  and,  in  the  foreground,  gold- 
flecked  waters  flowing  through  broad 
canals  with  rippling  music. 


The  secret  of  success  is  constancy  to  purpose.  89 

Ordinarily,  Elsa's  soul  would  have 
been  filled  with  the  enchanting  picture 
spread  before  her;  but  this  matchless 
morning  she  sat  by  her  window  with  that 
far-away  look  which  tells  of  a  mind  too 
much  preoccupied  to  take  note  of  out- 
ward things,  however  attractive. 

Martha  had  just  left  her,  after  bring- 
ing the  ill-tidings  that  Mrs.  Leadbetter's 
four  children  were  sick  with  scarlet 
fever.  It  was  this  news  that  had  shad- 
owed the  bright,  young  face,  given  a 
firmer  expression  to  the  delicately  curved 
mouth,  and  made  fainter  the  pink  of  the 
rounded  cheeks. 

Her  thoughts  ran  somewhat  in  this 
wise :  "It  was  not  only  ill-bred  of  Mrs. 
Leadbetter  to  pronounce  me  extravagant 
but  it  was  downright  cruel.  More  than 
that,  it  was  a  deliberate  falsehood.  That 
gown,  with  its  expensive  lace,  was  given 


90  A    Natural  Sequence. 

me  by  my  god-mother  when  I  graduated 
from  Normal  College.  Mrs.  Leadbetter 
knew  this,  for  I  had  told  her ;  and  again, 
she  had  always  professed  a  great  friend- 
ship for  me,  and  I  had  believed  in  her. 
As  for  Donald  Butler,  she  has  sung  his 
praises  to  me  in  season  and  out  of  season. 
If  she,  herself,  is  so  fond  of  him,  it  seems 
a  pity  that  she  couldn't  know  how  tan- 
gled is  the  web  of  our  acquaintance. 
Love  !  forsooth,"  and  here  her  lip  curled 
scornfully,  "  I  know  of  none  whose 
acquaintance  is  less  likely  to  end  in  mar- 
riage. Yet  how  gallantly  he  defended 
me,  or  rather,  struck  aside  her  arrow  of 
malice !  And  not  once  has  he  referred  to 
that  little  adventure  in  the  rain  when  I 
was  so  silly ;  with  all  his  faults,  he  can 
be  generous. 

uBut  rambling  on  in  this  manner  isn't 
coming  to  the  point.     Shall  I,  or  shall  I 


The  secret  of  success  is  constancy  to  purpose.  91 

not,  go  to  Mrs.  Leadbetter  and  offer  my 
services  as  nurse?  As  she  doesn't  know 
that  I  over-heard  her  remark,  I  think 
that  she  will  accept  me. 

"There  are  three  practical,  common- 
sense  reasons  why  I  should  do  this  thing. 
In  the  first  place,  it  will  give  me  a  chance 
to  put  in  practice  what  I  learned  in  the 
hospital  when  I  used  to  go  there  so  much 
with  dear  Mamma;  she  often  told  me 
that  sometime  my  knowledge  of  nursing 
might  benefit  some  one." 

The  tears  were  now  coursing  down 
Elsa's  cheeks;  for  thinking  thus  had 
brought  vividly  to  her  mind  the  fact  of 
her  orphanage.  Her  father  had  been 
captain  of  the  "  Isabel  Rumball,"  and  his 
wife  had  perished  with  him  when  that  ill- 
fated  vessel  went  down  in  the  gale  of 
188 —  that  wrecked  so  many  noble  ships 
sailing  from  the  Atlantic  Coast.  This 


92  A   Natural  Sequence. 

had  happened  during  Elsa's  junior  year 
in  college.  Since  then,  her  real  home 
had  been  with  a  relative  in  Philadelphia. 
Wiping  away  the  tears,  she  turned  her 
eyes  again  to  the  distant  scene  and  con- 
tinued her  matter-of-fact  soliloquy :  "  This 
year  there  have  been  only  seven  months 
of  school.  At  seventy  dollars  per  month, 
there  is  a  sum  total  of  four  hundred  and 
ninety  dollars;  deducting  board  and 
laundry  hire,  at  thirty-two  dollars  per 
month,  there  is  left  to  my  credit  the  sum 
of  two  hundred  and  sixty-six  dollars. 
There  are  five  months  of  vacation,  and 
my  expenses  cannot  possibly  be  reduced 
below  twenty-five  dollars  per  month — let 
me  figure  never  so  closely.  One  hundred 
and  forty-one  dollars  left;  with  such  a 
margin  for  clothing,  books,  and  inciden- 
tals, it  is  not  at  all  strange  that  Mrs. 
Leadbetter  should  set  me  down  as  being 


The  secret  of  success  is  constancy  to  purpose.  93 

extravagant."  And  the  girl  smiled  ironi- 
cally. "I  need  the  money  that  she  would 
pay  her  nurse." 

The  next  thought  softened  the  severity 
of  her  expression  and  brought  a  new, 
eager  light  to  her  eyes:  "And  those 
dear,  little  children !  I  do  love  every  one 
of  them.  I  feel  sure  that  I  can  relieve 
their  sufferings,  and  it  may  be  that  I 
may  even  help  to  save  their  lives." 

"  But,"  said  Reason  to  her,  "  you  have 
never  had  this  disease,  and  it  is  very  con- 
tagious." Here  her  cheek  paled,  but  fear 
did  not  change  the  resolve  forming  in 
Elsa's  mind.  "  I  am  young  and  healthy, 
and  I  hardly  think  there  can  be  danger 
for  myself ;  yet  if  it  should  come,  I  could 
die  in  no  nobler  service."  Without  fur- 
ther hesitation,  Miss  Walton  went  to 
offer  herself  to  Mrs.  Leadbetter  as  nurse 


94  A    Natural   Sequence. 

during  the  children's  illness.  She  was 
received  with  open  arms. 

Of  course  her  action  became  noised 
abroad  among  their  circle  of  friends. 

The  information  was  imparted  to  Don- 
ald Butler  on  a  Sunday  when  he  had 
come  up  from  the  ranch.  He  was  reclin- 
ing in  the  hammock  where  Elsa  had  over- 
heard Mrs.  Leadbetter's  uncompliment- 
ary remark  regarding  herself.  The  rest- 
ful stillness  of  the  Sabbath  had  brought 
a  strange,  sweet  calm  to  the  man's  mind. 
With  dreamy  eyes,  he  lay  watching  the 
half-formed,  graceful  patterns  of  vine  and 
leaf  with  which  the  slanting  evening  sun 
was  chequering  the  veranda  floor.  Myrl- 
dina  came  rushing  through  the  open 
door,  danced  along  the  polished  boards 
and  flounced  down  in  a  garden  chair 
before  him. 


The  secret  of  success  is  constancy  to  purpose.  95 

Then  she  abruptly  exclaimed  :  "  Don- 
ald MacDonald  Butler!  it  is  of  no  use  for 
you  to  lie  there  and  revolve  in  your 
mind : — 

Which  shall  I  marry?  which,  oh,  which? 
Elsa  is  pretty,  Lue  is  rich ; 
They  both  love  ine,  they  both  make  bread, 
Which,  oh,  which  one,  shall  I  wed? 

Lue  has  already  promised  her  heart, 
hand,  and  purse  to  young  James  Simp- 
son; while  the  fair  Elsa  has  turned 
sister  of  mercy,  and  gone  down  to  help 
Mrs.  Leadbetter  nurse  her  four  children 
through  the  scarlet  fever.  I  think  it  is 
a  wicked  shame ;  and,  ten  chances  to 
one  Elsa,  herself,  will  have  the  awful 
disease,  and  be  left  dumb,  deaf,  or  minus 
other  of  her  senses."  Here  she  paused 
simply  for  want  of  breath  to  go  on. 

Donald  responded  with  heightened 
color,  "I  excuse  that  propensity  of  yours 
for  making  doggerel.  I  feel  sure  that 


96  A   Natural   Sequence. 

you  cannot  help  it.  It  is  due  to  some 
spell  laid  upon  you  by  the  mermaids  of 
the  Southern  Atlantic.  A  girl  born  on 
the  sea  and  given  the  outlandish  name 
of  the  ship  on  which  her  eyes  first  saw 
day-light  is  bound  to  be  foolish  some- 
times." 

It  was  now  Myrldina's  turn  to  redden, 
for  this  allusion  to  her  name  was  always 
displeasing.  Donald  knew  it,  hence  his 
shot. 

But  there  was  only  good  humor 
expressed  in  his  cousin's  retort:  "You 
are  wrong,  my  dear  Donald.  My  dog- 
gerel, as  you  are  pleased  to  name  my 
poetic  effusions,  doesn't  show  foolishness 
but  wisdom.  It  is  an  indication  of 
second  sight;  and,  as  it  enables  me  to 
get  an  inner  view  of  the  character  of  the 
Great  Mogul  of  the  Universe,  I  value  it 
highly." 


The  secret  of  success  is  constancy  to  purpose.  97 

There  were  times  when  Donald  felt  a 
strong  inclination  to  take  hold  of  the 
saucy  girl  and  shake  her.  This  was  one 
of  them.  There  was  trnth  enough  in 
her  rhyming  hit  deeply  to  wound  his 
self-love.  Wishing,  however,  for  more 
information,  he  concealed  his  displeasure 
beneath  his  habitual  dignified  manner. 
It  was  well  to  proceed  cautiously ;  for,  if 
Myrldina  discovered  that  he  was  ques- 
tioning her  with  any  intent,  she  would 
become  as  close-mouthed  as  the  prover- 
bial oyster. 

u  What  do  you  care  if  Miss  Walton 
has  gone  to  help  nurse  Mrs.  Leadbetter's 
children?  "  he  asked  with  a  show  of 
indifference.  "And  even  if  she  should 
sicken  and  die,  what  would  that  be  to 
you?  " 

"  Brute  and  monster  !  "  exclaimed  the 
now  irate  girl,  rising  and  stamping  her 


98  A   Natural  Sequence. 

foot.  "  Isn't  she  the  loveliest  girl  in  the 
world,  and  didn't  her  father  sail  from 
the  same  port  as  my  papa?  " 

"Don't  fly  into  such  a  passion,"  quietly 
returned  the  man  putting  forth  one  hand 
and  grasping  the  white  wrist  nearest  him. 
Myrldina  tried  to  wrest  it  away,  but  in 
vain. 

"  Sit  down,"  he  commanded,  and  she 
meekly  complied. 

Donald  saw  his  opportunity  and  deter- 
mined to  follow  it  up.  "What  makes  you 
so  fond  of  this  Miss  Walton?"  he  asked. 

"I  was  first  attracted  to  her  because 
her  papa  was  a  sea-captain — the  same  as 
mine  is.  Afterwards,  I  loved  her  for  her- 
self. She  has  been  very  kind  to  me." 
This  was  uttered  in  tones  meek  enough 
to  suit  the  most  domineering  of  men, 
and  Donald  was  not  one  of  these. 


The  secret  of  success  is  constancy  to  purpose.  99 

"She  seems  to  me  an  ordinary  girl," 
was  his  comment  when  Myrldina  had 
done  speaking. 

Having  very  quickly  recovered  her 
spirits,  Myrldina  rose  from  the  chair, 
moved  back  a  pace,  and  quickly  retorted : 
u  Of  course,  to  you  and  all  your  class, 
she  is  ordinary.  If  you  superannuated 
bachelors  had  the  eyes  that  Sam  Weller 
said  he  didrit  have,  you  couldn't  tell  the 
difference  between  a  wax  figure  and  a 
woman.  For  why?  Your  vision  is 
obscured  by  your  own  self-conceit." 

While  she  had  been  so  pertly  speaking, 
Myrldina  had  been  backing  away  from 
him ;  and  with  the  last  word,  she  was 
away  down  the  walk  and  hastening  in 
the  direction  of  Grove  Street. 

Donald  had  half  a  mind  to  call  her 
back,  but  desisted.  The  mere  knowledge 
that  Miss  Walton  had  gone  to  Mrs. 


100  A    Natural   Sequence. 

Leadbetter's   aid  was   sufficient  food  for 
thought. 

"  What  had  induced  her  to  do  such  a 
thing?  It  couldn't  be  friendship  alone 
that  had  prompted  her?  At  least  he 
didn't  think  it  possible.  After  all,  it 
might  be  that  she  regarded  him  with 
such  indifference  that  it  mattered  not 
how  she  might  be  maligned  to  him.  Yet 
the  fact  remained  that  Mrs.  Leadbetter 
had  proved  herself  a  Judas — and  Miss 
Walton  knew  it.  The  girl  must  be  an 
angel.  Yet  as  she  had  her  own  living  to 
earn,  it  was  not  wise  for  her  to  expose 
herself  to  such  danger.  Was  there  not 
some  one  who  had  authority  to  send  her 
away?  Perhaps  if  the  Leadbetter  family 
physician  had  full  knowledge  of  the  cir- 
cumstances, he  would  forbid  her  stay- 
ing longer."  These  were  some  of  the 
thoughts  that  ran  through  Donald's 


The  secret  of  success  is  constancy  to  purpose.   101 

mind  with  lightning-like  rapidity,  the 
while  he  reclined  in  the  hammock,  out- 
wardly calm,  but  with  an  inward  ebulli- 
tion that  threatened  to  engulf  prudence. 
After  a  time  he  bestirred  himself, 
sauntered  down  the  walk,  passed  through 
the  gate,  and  wended  his  way  to  a  certain 
house  on  Pepper-tree  Street.  He  found 
the  learned  man  of  medicine  in  his  office. 
The  latter  failed  to  elicit  anything  very 
satisfactory  from  this  man  who  appeared 
in  the  role  of  a  patient.  After  a  hasty 
examination  he  was  still  further  puzzled. 
"  Pulse  normal,  tongue  clean,  skin  moist, 
appetite  good,  digestion  perfect.  What 
on  earth  could  ail  the  man  that  none  of 
these  should  be  deranged? "  mentally 
commented  the  baffled  physician.  He 
scratched  his  head  in  despair.  "Sleep 
well  nights? "  he  jerked  out. 


102  A    Natural   Sequence. 

"Not  very,"  boldly  returned  the  other, 
with  no  qualms  of  conscience  at  thus 
stretching  the  truth. 

"I  see,"  joyously  assented  the  M.  D., 
"nervousness."  And  he  straightway 
proceeded  to  weigh  out  some  powders ; 
one  of  these  he  dissolved  in  a  small 
quantity  of  water  and  brought  it  to 
Mr.  Butler. 

Donald  obediently  swallowed  the 
draught,  settled  back  in  his  chair,  and 
seemed  in  no  hurry  to  pay  his  fee  or  go. 

If  the  physician  felt  any  surprise  at 
these  proceedings,  he  showed  none;  but 
patiently  awaited  the  next  move  of  his 
caller. 

"Much  sickness  in  the  city  now?" 
Donald  asked. 

"  Not  much,"  was  the  cautious  reply. 

"Any  fever?" 


The  secret  of  success  is  constancy  to  purpose.   103 

"No,  only  two  or  three  isolated  cases 
of  scarlet  fever." 

"I  hear  that  Major  Leadbetter's  chil- 
dren have  it." 

"Yes,"  reluctantly  admitted  the  phy- 
sician. 

a  Whom  have  they  for  a  nurse?" 

The  professional  man  broke  through 
his  customary  reserve  and  exclaimed : 
"A  Miss  Walton.  And  she  is  fine, 
reliable  in  every  way ! " 

"Ah,  yes!  I  have  met  her  once  or 
twice,"  was  said  indifferently.  "  But  isn't 
there  danger  of  her  taking  the  fever?" 

"  There  is  always  a  certain  amount  of 
danger,"  replied  the  other  with  dignity ; 
"but  with  a  certain  amount  of  caution— 

"  But  this  girl  is  young,"  interrupted 
Butler,  "  and  it  cannot  be  that  she  fully 
understands  the  great  risk  she  is  running 
in  helping  to  nurse  those  children." 


104  A    Natural   Sequence. 

The  doctor  was  now  gazing  at  him  in 
mild-eyed  astonishment.  "I  should  say 
that  she  was  twenty-two  or  three,"  he 
slowly  replied;  uand  she  certainly  has 
the  use  of  all  her  mental  faculties." 

Clearly  there  was  nothing  to  be  gained 
by  this  beating  about  the  bush ;  and  to 
Butler  there  was  no  other  way  of  pro- 
cedure. Half  disgusted  at  himself  for 
coming,  and  wholly  angry  at  the  obtuse 
physician,  Butler  paid  his  fee  and  took 
his  departure. 

Half-mechanically,  he  turned  his  steps 
to  the  street  where  stood  Major  Lead- 
better's  house.  It  was  set  well  in  from 
the  highway,  a  hedge  of  handsome  palms 
partially  hiding  from  the  passers-by  the 
well  kept  grounds.  Butler  walked  boldly 
in.  Being  a  frequent  caller  here,  he 
knew  the  rooms  where  the  sick  children 
]ay.  To  the  adjacent  portion  of  the 


77ie  secret  of  success  is  constancy  to  purpose.  105 

grounds  he  took  his  way,  and  slipped  in 
among  the  over-hanging  boughs  of  a 
knot  of  apricot  trees.  He  did  not  analyze 
his  motives  in  doing  this  thing.  His 
thoughts  becoming  clearer,  he  determined 
on  a  plan  of  action.  The  newly  risen 
moon  was  now  sifting  golden  showers 
through  the  leaves.  After  the  sick  ones 
had  been  made  comfortable  for  the  night, 
it  was  quite  probable  that  Miss  Walton 
would  come  into  the  garden  for  quiet  and 
fresh  air.  He  would  see  her  and  try  to 
dissuade  her  from  the  arduous  and  dan- 
gerous task  she  had  voluntarily  under- 
taken. 

His  surmises  regarding  her  appearance 
were  correct.  Ere  long  she  came  quietly 
through  a  window-door  and  began  pacing 
up  and  down  the  long  veranda. 

She  was  singing  very  softly  a  hymn. 
Butler  could  not  distinguish  the  words ; 


100  A    Natural   Sequence. 

but  the  measured  cadence  told  him  that 
it  was  something  sacred.  Kither  for  fear 
of  disturbing  the  childish  sufferers  or 
because  the  beauty  of  the  night  wooed 
her  to  the  walks,  she  came  in  her  light 
dress  down  the  steps.  Guiltily  Butler 
moved  farther  back  into  the  shadowing 
cluster  of  trees. 

She  was  singing  now  in  a  fuller,  clearer 
voice;  and  in  the  hush  of  the  evening 
these  words  came  plainly  to  the  ear  of 
the  listening  man: 

u  ;  Lead  thou  my  feet  !  I  do  not  ask  to  see 

The  distant  scene ;  one  step  enough  for  me.' '' 

Instinctively,  he  raised  his  hat  from 
his  brow  and  stood  with  bowed  head. 
Another  line  of  the  hymn,  full  of  devout 
meaning,  floated  to  him  upon  the  sweet 
contralto  voice : 

"  'Pride  ruled  my  will;  remember  not  past  years.'" 

The  singer  gave  the  words  no  unusual 


The  secret  of  success  is  constancy  to  purpose.   107 

expression;  but  the  man's  heart  was  so 
attuned  that  it  seemed  to  him  as  if  she 
stood  a  saint  at  the  throne  of  grace  inter- 
ceding for  his  soul. 

"'Pride  ruled  my  will:'"  Butler  felt 
the  sentence  a  true  confession  of  all  that 
had  filled  his  brain  and  heart  and  soul 
during  his  manhood. 

u '  Remember  not  past  years : ' '  this 
time  the  words  were  wrung  from  the 
depths  of  a  strong  man's  heart. 

He  would  not  try  to  turn  the  girl  from 
her  purpose ;  he  felt  that  not  only  would 
his  arguments  be  in  vain,  but  sacrilege 
against  the  higher  nature  unconsciously 
revealed  to  him  this  evening. 

He  remained  concealed  until  Elsa  had 
returned  to  the  house. 

On  his  homeward  way  a  sudden  strong 
resolve  took  possession  of  him ;  but  past 
events  loomed  up  in  the  way  of  its  accom- 


108  A    Natural  Sequence. 

plishment.  The  agony  of  doubt  brought 
a  cold  sweat  to  his  forehead.  Then,  with 
the  courage  born  of  high  resolution, 
recalling  the  words:  "One  step  enough 
for  ine,"  he  said  firmly  to  himself,  "I 
know  that  step.  Let  it  suffice  —  at 
present." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

,  after  all,  what  is  a  lie?     '  Tis  but  the  truth  in 
masquerade." 

In  council  sat  the  knight,  the  knave,  the  fool, 
An'  argered  long  an'  late  about  the  school. 

In  this  land  of  Italian  softness,  each 
delightful  day  so  quickly  follows  another 
that  one  must  stop  and  think  before 
naming  the  solar  month — if  he  would  do 
so  correctly.  July  alone  pauses  with  a 
solemnity  that  gives  no  chance  for  erring. 


And,  after  all,  what  is  a  lie?  109 

On  one  of  the  warmest  of  these  warm 
evenings,  the  newly  elected  school  board 
of  Phoenix  held  its  first  meeting. 

Mr.  Morgan,  the  chairman,  had  returned 
to  his  office  soon  after  dinner  for  the 
purpose  of  completing  some  unfinished 
business.  This  done,  he  took  out  his 
watch  and  found  that  it  lacked  but 
twenty  minutes  of  half  past  seven — the 
hour  of  appointment.  Sitting  down  in 
front  of  a  desk,  he  opened  a  drawer  and 
took  out  a  bundle  of  letters.  These  he 
assorted  in  two  heaps.  The  one  at  his 
right  consisted  of  only  fourteen ;  having 
counted  those  at  the  left,  he  gave  a  pro- 
longed whistle. 

"  Whew  !  "  he  ejaculated,  "  eighty-four 
applications  for  fourteen  positions." 
Thrusting  his  hands  into  his  pockets, 
he  stretched  his  long  legs  under  the 
table  and  surveyed,  with  a  dismayed 


110  A    Natural   Sequence. 

face,  the  innocent  squares  before  him. 
"And  I'm  to  help  elect  the  corps  of 
teachers  for  the  ensuing  year.  What 
are  my  qualifications?  I'm  sure  that  I 
don't  know ;  but  my  friends  must,  for 
they  said  that  my  serving  on  the  school 
board  would  be  of  inestimable  benefit  to 
the  city.  But  it  appears  that  this  is  true 
only  so  far  as  I  follow  the  advice  of  Tom, 
Dick,  or  Harry,  whose  sisters,  aunts,  or 
cousins  are,  according  to  their  disinter- 
ested judgment,  the  only  ones  capable  of 
properly  instructing  our  specimens  of 
Young  America.  Thanks  to  my  wife,  I 
do  know  a  little  something  about  Froebel 
and  the  new  education.  This  knowledge 
may  be  of  some  use  to  me  and  it  may 
not.  At  any  rate,  I'm  in  for  it  now !  " 

Steps  were  heard  slowly  ascending  the 
stairs,  and  in  a  few  minutes  there  entered 
a  feeble-looking  man  of  about  fifty  years 


And,  after  all,  what  is  a  lief  111 

of  age.  Dropping  into  the  chair  that 
Mr.  Morgan  handed  him,  the  new-comer 
said  in  a  hollow  voice,  "  Goin'  np  stairs 
winds  me — winds  me." 

This  man  was  slender,  bowed,  and  nar- 
row-shouldered ;  and  notwithstanding  the 
excessive  heat  of  the  day,  he  wore  a  long 
monse-colored  coat  buttoned  to  his  chin. 

After  a  moment's  pause,  he  said  a  little 
hoarsely,  "This  is  importint  bisnis  that 
we  have  to  do  to-night — have  to  do 
to-night.  Have  you  seen  the  Lord  about, 
it — seen  the  Lord  about  it?  " 

"  Well,  no !  "  answered  the  other  some- 
what brusquely,  "  I  have  been  inter- 
viewed by  so  many  myself,  that  I  have 
had  no  time  or  chance  to  ask  any  one's 
opinion." 

"Trainin'  the  young  is  importint  bis- 
nis, mister,  and  we  want  to  make  a  good 
chice — a  good  chice.  We  want  those  who 


112  A    Natural   Sequence. 

are  on  the  Lord's  side — on  the  Lord's 
side." 

There  now  appeared  a  brisk,  energetic 
man  of  medium  size.  He  would  have 
been  called  good-looking  had  it  not  been 
for  the  deep  scar  over  his  left  eye,  which 
he  had  carried  for  many  years.  It  was 
not  an  honorable  blemish,  but  one  gotten 
in  a  drunken  broil  in  pioneer  days.  His 
small,  steel-colored  eyes  were  deep-set 
and  roved  restlessly  about. 

"Ah,  good  evening,  Deacon!  How  is 
your  cough?"  he  inquired  of  the  stooping 
figure. 

"About  the  same,  Jedge,  thank  yer — 
thank  yer,"  feebly  replied  the  Deacon. 

"  It  is  evident,  Morgan,  that  you  are 
ready  for  business,"  the  Judge  then  said, 
going  to  the  table,  carelessly  picking  up 
an  envelope  and  hastily  scanning  its 
contents. 


And,  after  all,  what  is  a  lie?  113 

"Yes,"  was  the  reply,  "and,  as  the 
Deacon  says,  this  is  important  business, 
and  the  sooner  we  get  to  work  the  better." 

"I  reckon  I'm  ready,"  observed  the 
Judge,  throwing  down  the  letter  and 
seating  himself  in  an  office  chair  that 
stood  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  table 
and  in  front  of  Mr.  Morgan. 

"I  think,"  said  that  gentleman,  "we 
should  consider  first  the  applications  of 
those  who  have  been  teaching  here  for 
the  past  year." 

"  I  reckon  that  I  agree  with  you," 
pleasantly  assented  the  Judge. 

"  Then  we  will  take  up  the  application 
of  the  city  superintendent  first.  He 
wishes  to  be  re-elected.  What  is  your 
mind,  gentlemen?" 

"  He's  a  leetle  slow — a  leetle  slow," 
said  the  hollow  voice. 

"  I   reckon  I   know  of  a  better  man," 


114  A    Natural   Sequence. 

remarked  the  Judge.  u  Mrs.  Severns 
says  that  Mr.  Pooldar  is  twice  as  good  as 
the  present  one." 

"I  also  have  a  name  to  propose  for  that 
position,  gentlemen,"  said  Mr.  Morgan. 
"It  is  that  of  Mr.  Storman  of  Dunboro' 
University.  He  has  travelled  abroad, 
has  received  the  degree  of  A.  M.,  and  is 
at  present  principal  of  a  Normal  School 
in  Ohio.  Owing  to  the  ill  health  of  his 
wife,  he  wishes  to  come  here  to  live ;  and, 
for  this  reason  alone,  wishes  a  position  in 
our  schools.  He  is  highly  spoken  of  by 
leading  educators." 

"What  are  his  politics?"  asked  the 
Judge. 

"  I  know  nothing  of  his  politics  and 
don't  care  what  they  may  be,"  impatiently 
replied  Mr.  Morgan.  "  The  best  man  for 
the  place  is  what  I  want." 

The  evening  was  very  warm ;   and  the 


And,  after  all,  what  is  a  lie  f  115 

chairman  of  the  school-board  wished  that 
he  were  well  out  of  this  business.  But 
he  thought  of  his  three  children;  and, 
realizing  that  the  instruction  and  influ- 
ence under  which  they  would  be  placed 
for  the  coming  year  rested  in  a  measure 
with  him,  he  straightened  back  in  his 
chair  and  began  again :  "Gentlemen,  who 
is  to  be  superintendent  of  our  schools  for 
the  coming  year?  I  wish  to  see  the  sal- 
ary raised  and  a  more  broadly  educated 
man  than  Mr.  Andrews  filling  the  chair." 

"The  city  is  payin'  too   much  now— 
too  much  now,"  croaked  the  economical 
Deacon. 

"  I  reckon  that  I'm  in  favor  of  increas- 
ing the  salary,"  said  the  Judge,  "  and  I 
will  vote  to  do  so  if  Mr.  Pooldar  is  elected ; 
otherwise,  I  will  not." 

"  But,"  interposed  Mr.  Morgan,  "  his 
qualifications  are  no  better  that  those  of 


116  A   Natural   Sequence. 

the  present  incumbent.  So,  why  make 
the  change?" 

"  Well !  Mrs.  Severns  said  that  she 
thought  this  man  would  be  twice  as  good 
as  Mr.  Andrews ;  and  as  he  is  not  satisfy- 
ing everybody,  I  thought  it  a  good  idea 
to  make  a  change  of  some  kind." 

"That  is  an  erroneous  idea,"  said  Mr. 
Morgan.  ulf  you  cannot  better  things, 
let  well  enough  alone." 

"  I  shan't  vote  for  the  pay  to  be  riz — 
the  pay  to  be  riz,"  doggedly  whispered 
the  Deacon. 

"I  put  the  question  again,"  said  the 
chairman.  uWho  shall  be  the  city 
superintendent  for  the  coming  school- 
year?" 

"  I  reckon  I  cast  my  vote  for  Mr.  Pool- 
dar,  and  also  for  an  increase  of  salary," 
said  the  Judge. 

"I  vote  for  Mr.  Storman  of  Dunboro' 


And,  after  all,  what  is  a  lie?  117 

University,  and  an  increase  of  salary," 
announced  the  chairman. 

"I  votes  for  neither — for  neither," 
spoke  the  hollow  voice.  "  I  votes  for 
Mr.  Andrews,  and  no  raise  in  pay — no 
raise  in  pay." 

That  Mr.  Pooldar  would  be  no  improve- 
ment over  the  present  officer,  Mr.  Morgan 
well  knew;  and,  as  the  man  he  wished  to 
see  elected  met  with  no  favor  whatever, 
he  seconded  the  Deacon's  vote.  Under 
the  circumstances,  this  seemed  .  best ; 
although  he  frowned  deeply  as  he  saw 
the  Judge  record  the  name  of  Mr. 
Andrews. 

The  chairman  took  up  another  appli- 
cation. It  was  that  of  an  upper  grade 
teacher.  "  Miss  Rosson  wishes  her  posi- 
tion another  year,"  he  said.  "As  she  has 
done  good  work,  I  move  that  we  retain 
her." 


118  A   Natural  Sequence. 


At  this  point  the  Deacon  picked  up 
her  letter  of  application  which  the  chair- 
man had  just  laid  on  the  table. 

"  I  votes  agin  her — agin  her,"  he  said 
excitedly. 

uAnd  why?  "  coolly  asked  Mr.  Morgan. 

"Jest  look  at  that — look  at  that,"  he 
cried,  at  the  same  time  pointing  with  a 
bony  fore-finger  to  the  page  before  him. 

The  chairman  looked  searchingly 
adown  the  lines  ;  but,  seeing  nothing  to 
cause  this  outbreak,  he  said,  "  Well ! 
what  is  it?  " 

uT-h-e-r-e — t-h-e-r-e,"  spelled  aloud  the 
Deacon.     "A  girl  who  makes  a  blunder 
like  that,  hadn't  ought  to  have  a  school— 
hadn't  ought  to  have  a  school." 

"  That  word  is  spelled  correctly," 
answered  Mr.  Morgan,  opening  his  eyes 
in  astonishment. 

"It  ain't — it    ain't,"    contradicted    the 


<  hid,  after  all,  what  is  a  lie  >  119 


Deacon.  "T-h-a-i-r — t-h-a-i-r,  is  the  way 
to  spell  it.  Ain't  that  so?  "  he  inquired 
of  the  Judge. 

The  Judge  smiled.  That  Miss  Rosson 
was  one  of  the  best  of  teachers,  he  knew. 
But  she  was  no  favorite  of  his  ;  for  had 
not  his  wife  called  on  her  and  she  never 
returned  the  call?  Besides,  her  mascu- 
line relatives  differed  from  him  in  poli- 
tics. Nothing  to  be  gained  by  voting 
for  her.  A  man  received  no  pay  for  this 
work  and  he  must  turn  it  to  some 
account.  If  daughters  of  men  of  his  own 
party  were  given  the  position,  he  could 
count  on  certain  votes  at  the  next  elec- 
tion ;  and  he  hoped  to  run  for  mayor. 
These  were  his  inward  thoughts,  but 
aloud  he  said  :  "  I  reckon  the  spelling  is 
all  right,  but  there  are  other  things  to 
be  considered.  I  reckon  that  it  would 


120  A    Natural   Sequence. 

be  better  to  put  Miss  Stafford  in  her 
place." 

u  Why,  Judge  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Mor- 
gan, u  she  does  not  possess  the  qualifica- 
tians  of  the  girl  you  would  evict." 

"That  may  be,"  assented  the  Judge, 
ubut  I  reckon  that  she  knows  enough  to 
teach  the  pupils  of  that  grade ;  and  if  she 
don't,  why  !  lower  the  grade ;  and  as  her 
father  lives  here  and  pays  his  taxes  here, 
I  reckon  that  she  ought  to  have  the 
school,  even  if  she  is  not  as  well  educated 
as  the  other." 

The  chairman  picked  out  a  letter  from 
the  pile  at  his  left,  and  proceeded  to  read 
it  aloud : — 

GENTLEMEN  :— 

I  desire  a  position  in  your  city  schools.  I 
am  a  graduate  of  Alhambra  College,  and  of  the 
Lakeside  Normal  in  Michigan.  For  the  past 
three  years,  I  have  been  an  assistant  teacher  in 
Hartford  Academy,  Illinois.  For  testimonials, 


.  hid,  after  all,  what  is  a  lie  !  121 

I   refer  you  to  G.   S.   Lane,   principal  of    that 
institution,  and  to  Prof.  Dash  of  Arizona  Terri- 
torial University.     An  early  answer  is  desired. 
Yours  truly, 

MARIA  SNOW. 

When  he  had  finished  reading  the 
letter,  Mr.  Morgan  said,  "  I  should  like 
to  see  that  young  lady  put  in  Miss  Ros- 
son's  place — if  you  feel  that  the  latter 
must  be  evicted."  The  words  were 
spoken  deferentially,  for  Mr.  Morgan's 
sole  object  was  to  work  for  the  good  of 
the  city  schools.  Then  he  went  on, 
uMiss  Stafford  has  had  no  experience. 
The  professor,  to  whom  Miss  Snow  refers 
us,  is  a  man  of  liberal  education  and 
sound  judgment,  and  a  testimonial  from 
him  in  her  favor  should  count  for  a 
great  deal." 

The  Deacon  gave  him  a  combative 
look. 

"Them  perfessers  are  men  who  don't 


122  A   Natural  Sequence. 

think  on  nothin'  but  ketchin'  bugs  and 
mixin'  messes  in  glass  dishes — mixin' 
messes  in  glass  dishes.  I've  been  down 
to  see  their  school,  and  so  I  knows — I 
knows." 

Here  Mr.  Morgan's  ire  got  the  better 
of  his  judgment.  Springing  to  his  feet, 
he  brought  his  clenched  fist  down  on  the 
table  and  roared,  " Confound  it!  I'd  like 
to  know  how  in  the  name  of  common 
sense  a  party  ever  happened  to  put 
such  as  you  on  the  school  board.  This 
comes  of  mixing  up  politics  with  school 
affairs." 

The  Deacon  uneasily  moved  his  chair; 
the  Judge  coolly  smiled;  while  Mr. 
Morgan,  instantly  ashamed  of  his  hasty 
temper,  mopped  his  perspiring  brow  and 
sat  down  again.  All  the  heat  of  the  day 
seemed  concentrated  in  that  one  room. 

Now  was  the   time  for   the  Judge   to 


And,  after  all,  what  is  a  lie  ?  123 

make  a  move.  "  I  reckon  that  I  cast  my 
vote  for  Miss  Stafford, "  he  said. 

The  Deacon  moved  his  chair  further 
away  from  Mr.  Morgan  before  he  found 
courage  to  say,  "  I  votes  for  Miss  Stafford. 
I  do— I  do." 

So  the  name  of  Miss  Stafford  was 
recorded  below  that  of  Mr.  Andrews. 

Several  applications  followed  this;  the 
writers  being  re-elected  or  evicted  with 
equal  want  of  just  discrimination. 

Then  came  to  hand  the  letters  from 
the  primary  teachers  ;  among  which,  by 
the  way,  were  those  of  Esther  Fairfax 
and  Martha  Coggeshall. 

The  epistles  being  duly  read,  the 
chairman  inquired  what  should  be  done 
with  them. 

u  I  reckon  that  I  don't  think  much  of 
the  goings  on  of  these  Kindergarden 
teachers,"  said  the  Judge,  bringing  his 


124  A    Natural  Sequence. 

crossed  leg  to  the  floor  and  sitting  around 
squarely  in  his  chair.  "  Mrs.  Severns 
says  how  as  the  first  year  they  teach  the 
children  to  draw  a  cat,  the  second  year  to 
rub  it  out,  and  the  third  year  to  spell 
'  cat.'  I  reckon  that  she  knows.  I  reckon 
that  it  will  be  a  mighty  sight  better  to 
let  those  three  kindergarden  teachers  go, 
and  hire  girls  who  will  work." 

"  I'm  agreed  with  yer — agreed  with 
yer,"  whispered  the  Deacon.  "  My  chil- 
derns  bring  papers  home  from  school,  all 
doubled  up— all  doubled  up.  Little  bits 
of  squares,  three-cornered  ones,  and 
round  ones — and  round  ones.  And  Mrs. 
Severns  says  how  as  they  play  in  mud 
there — play  in  mud  there.  Roll  it  round 
and  round  in  their  hands,  and  make  what 
they  call  (  spheres  '  —  what  they  call 
'  sp'eres.'  '  And  warming  to  his  subject, 
the  Deacon  put  his  two  hands  together, 


And,  after  all,  what  is  a  lie?  125 

and  rubbed  one  upon  the  other  with  a 
slow  circular  motion,  to  demonstrate  the 
making  of  "  sp'eres." 

Froebel,  the  new  education,  law  of 
unity,  and  a  dozen  other  things  pertain- 
ing to  Kindergarten  work,  became  a  con- 
fusion of  ideas  in  the  chairman's  head ; 
but  not  one  principle  could  he  advance  to 
defend  these  progressive  teachers.  He 
could  only  say:  "I  know  these  teachers 
are  hard-working  and  capable.  Their 
instruction  is  of  the  best,  and  you  must 
see  that  it  is  wise  to  retain  them."  The 
Judge  and  Deacon  did  not  see  this ;  so 
these  instructors  were  evicted  in  a  body. 

Miss  Walton's  application  came  next. 

"  She's  a  mighty  pretty  girl  and  a 
right  smart  one,"  commented  the  Judge 
when  her  letter  had  been  read. 

"Mrs.  Severns  says  how  she  is  too 
flightin'  -  -  too  flightin',"  criticised  the 


126  A    Natural   Sequence. 

Deacon.  "  She  seed  her  ridin'  two  differ- 
ent times  with  two  different  men — two 
different  men." 

Mr.  Morgan's  lip  curled  scornfully,  but 
he  said  quietly,  "  Her  qualifications  are 
of  the  best,  and  I  move  that  we  retain 
her." 

"  Well,"  slowly  and  somewhat  reluc- 
tantly observed  the  Judge,  "  she's  a  right 
bright  girl,  but  holds  her  head  too  high 
for  this  new  country.  We'd  better  try 
somebody  else." 

The  now  thoroughly  tired  Deacon  nod- 
ded his  head  in  the  affirmative  and  feebly 
whispered,  "Too  nightin' — too  nightin'." 

Mr.  Morgan  was  helpless. 

It  was  late,  very  late,  when  the  last 
teacher  had  been  elected.  After  the 
Judge  and  the  Deacon  had  gone,  Mr. 
Morgan  returned  the  letters  to  their 
drawer,  locked  it  and  put  the  key  in  his 


And,  after  all,  what  is  a  lie?  127 

pocket.  Then  rising,  he  wiped  the  per- 
spiration from  his  face,  and  set  his  chair 
in  its  customary  place.  This  done,  he 
put  on  his  sombrero,  passed  through  the 
door,  and  as  he  made  it  secure  for  the 
night,  he  muttered:  "I  hope  that  the 
meeting  of  this  evening  is  not  a  fair 
sample  of  what  usually  takes  place. 
But  teachers  certainly  lack  progression, 
when  year  after  year  goes  by  and  they 
do  nothing  towards  limiting  the  power  of 
school  boards ;  who,  if  they  possess  the 
requisite  educational  qualifications,  too 
often  lack  a  practical  knowledge  of  meth- 
ods. Pedagogical  associations  must  have 
the  life  of  Egyptian  mummies." 


128  A    Natural  Sequence. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

"  Truth  is  the  highest  thing-  that  man  may  keep" 

DONALD  BUTLER'S  ranch  lay  six  miles 
southeast  of  the  city.  Half  of  it  was 
given  up  to  the  cultivation  of  raisin 
grapes ;  while  the  remaining  portion  was 
sub-divided,  the  several  divisions  bearing 
thrifty  trees  of  apricot,  peach,  fig,  olive, 
and  orange.  Every  part  of  this  fruit 
farm  gave  evidence  of  the  owner's  method- 
ical mind.  Even  the  irrigating  canals 
and  ditches  were  so  cleanly  cut  that 
Dame  Rumor  slyly  whispered  they  were 
sand-papered  by  Butler's  own  hands. 
This  report,  however,  cannot  be  vouched 
for,  as  the  good  woman  mentioned  has 
passed  her  three  score  years  and  ten,  and 
so  her  memory  is  not  always  reliable. 


Truth  is  the  highest  thing  that  man  may  keep.  129 

The  ranch  house  was  a  two-roomed 
adobe,  encircled  with  the  veranda  so 
indispensable  to  a  southern  home  of  even 
the  most  modest  pretensions.  The  same 
order  and  neatness  shown  outside  was 
revealed  within ;  but  for  the  consolation 
of  those  masculine  celibates  whose  rooms 
are  chaos,  let  it  be  known  that,  about  once 
in  so  often,  the  house-wife  of  a  neighbor- 
ing ranch  was  hired  to  sweep,  dust  and 
arrange  these  apartments.  Butler  flat- 
tered himself  that  the  matter  was  kept  a 
profound  secret.  In  so  level  and  open 
a  country,  though,  secrets  can  not  well 
hide,  and  this  one  was  not  the  exception 
that  proves  the  rule. 

During  the  summer  months,  he  was 
seldom  absent  for  any  length  of  time;  as 
it  was  then  that  the  picking  and  curing 
of  figs  and  grapes  demanded  his  personal 
supervision. 


130  A    Natural   Sequence. 

One  evening,  the  work  of  the  day  con- 
cluded, he  seated  himself  in  the  front 
room  with  the  design  of  reading  the 
latest  fruit  journal;  but  the  page  before 
him  proved  not  of  sufficient  interest  to 
hold  his  attention;  every  now  and  then 
his  glance  would  wander  through  the 
open  casement  at  his  right  and  across  the 
trailing  green  of  vines  stretching  as  far 
as  his  eye  could  reach.  To-night  he 
viewed  the  scene  with  a  double  satisfac- 
tion, not  only  because  it  represented  the 
results  of  his  labors  and  savings;  but 
because  this  day  he  had  shipped  the 
largest  consignment  of  fruit  that  had  yet 
left  this  ranch.  It  was  but  natural  that 
he  should  think  upon  his  success  with  a 
certain  amount  of  pride. 

From  contemplation  of  his  profits,  his 
mind  wandered  into  the  future;  and  he 
saw,  in  place  of  the  humble  adobe,  a 


Trill /i  /.v  the  highest  thiug  that  man  may  keep.  131 

stately  edifice  with  broad  avenues  leading 
thereto.  He  even  decided  from  which 
point  of  the  compass  should  come  the 
carnage  drive. 

His  eyes  following  down  a  narrow  path, 
lie  was  surprised  to  see  in  the  distance  a 
moving  cloud  of  dust  that  fore-told  a 
coming  horseman.  Butler  watched  the 
drawing-near  with  interest ;  for,  at  this 
season,  visitors  rarely  ventured  through 
the  drifts  of  dust  that  lay  between  the 
city  and  the  ranches. 

When,  at  length,  he  discerned  a  female 
figure  sitting  the  horse,  his  amazement 
was  increased ;  before  long,  the  lope  of 
the  steed  brought  him  to  a  halt  before 
the  office.  Butler  sprang  from  his  chair, 
and  reached  the  door  just  as  Myrldina 
slipped  to  the  ground. 

"What  has  brought  you  here  in  this 
plight?"  he  exclaimed  bluntly  to  the 


132  A    Natural  Sequence. 

girl,  while  she  was  deftly  fastening  her 
horse  by  the  bridle  rein  to  one  of  the 
posts  that  served  to  support  the  veranda. 

"  Is  any  one  at  home  sick  or  hurt?  " 
he  asked  anxiously. 

And  truly  it  did  seem  as  if  nothing 
short  of  a  severe  illness,  or  a  serious 
accident,  could  have  caused  Myrldina  to 
ride  through  the  dust  and  heat  of  this 
July  day.  The  horse  was  covered  thick 
with  foam  and  dust ;  while  his  rider  was 
completely  enveloped  in  the  multitudi- 
nous particles  that  filled  the  air  almost 
to  suffocation. 

To  her  cousin's  question,  Myrldina 
shook  her  head  in  the  negative. 

"Then,"  Donald  dryly  suggested  with 
a  movement  of  the  head  toward  his  sleep- 
ing-room, "  I  think  that  you  had  better 
go  inside,  wash  your  face  and  hands 


7^ruth  is  the  highest  thing  that  man  may  keep.  133 

and  afterwards  we  will  discuss  whatever 
has  brought  you  here." 

She  was  now  unfastening  the  cinch- 
strap.  Her  cousin  came  to  her  aid,  say- 
ing, u  I'll  remove  the  saddle ;  go  inside." 

With  a  quick  motion,  not  ungraceful, 
Myrldina  gave  her  sateen  skirt  a  shake 
that  sent  the  unstable  overdress  flying 
on  every  side.  Obedient  to  Donald's 
wish,  she  then  passed  into  the  inner 
room ;  emerging  in  a  short  space  of  time 
with  hair  newly  smoothed,  and  face 
freshly  bathed. 

"  Well? "  he  began  encouragingly, 
placing  her  a  chair  before  his  own. 

f  he  girl  needed  no  second  invitation. 
"O  Donald  !  "  she  broke  out,  "  the  new 
school  board  met  last  night  and  evicted 
many  of  the  teachers  —  Miss  Walton 
among  the  number.  She—  with  others — 
has  staid  here — ever  since  April — expect- 


134  A    Natural   Sequence. 

ing  reappointment.  Their  eviction  is 
just  too  mean  for  anything!  Can't 
something  be  done  about  it?  " 

uAnd  is  that  what  brought  you  here?" 
he  asked,  almost  scornfully. 

Myrldina  began  to  cry.  "  I — I — feel 
that  I  had  something  to  do  with  their 
eviction ;  and  I  thought  that  perhaps  you 
could  do  something  towards  making  the 
school  board  put  them  back  in  again — 
especially  Miss  Walton." 

"  How  could  you  possibly  have  any- 
thing to  do  with  their  eviction?"  Donald 
asked  in  tones  of  wonderment. 

Myrldina  wiped  her  eyes,  pocketed  her 
handkerchief,  and  promptly  proceeded  to 
impart  the  desired  information :  "  You 
see  it  happened  in  this  way.  Mrs.  Sev- 
erns, — the  meddlesome  old  thing — 

"And  who  might  Mrs.  Severns  be?  " 
interrupted  her  cousin. 


J^ruth  is  the  highest  thing  that  man  may  keep.  135 

"  Why !  that  woman  who  lives  not 
many  blocks  from  Aunt  Margarette's,  in 
that  house  having  six  immense  umbrella 
trees  in  the  front  yard.  Now  and  then 
she  teaches  a  term  of  private  school ;  and 
as  she  has  a  little  knowledge  of  the  three 
Rs,  she  meddles  in  the  affairs  of  the 
public  schools  every  chance  she  can  get." 

Thinking  this  sufficient  explanation, 
Myrldina  continued:  "I  was  going  by 
there  one  day  just  as  Mrs.  Severns  was 
coming  out  of  a  side  door  with  a  bowl  of 
something  hot  in  her  hand.  It  being  a 
warm  day,  and  she  a  little  lame,  I  offered 
to  carry  the  dish  for  her.  She  thanked 
me  and  said  that  it  would  oblige  her 
greatly  if  I  would  take  the  bowl  to  Dea- 
con Smart.  I  did  so ;  and  as  I  go  right 
by  her  home  when  I  am  out  for  a  consti- 
tutional, I  have  carried  the  deacon  many 
a  bowl  of  hot  soup  during  the  past  few 


136  A   Natural  Sequence. 

weeks.  Mrs.  Severns  was  always  at  the 
gate  ready  to  waylay  me ;  and  I  didn't 
mind  it  in  the  least,  for  I  thought  that  I 
was  doing  a  good  deed.  But  it  must 
have  been  her  hot  messes  that  influenced 
the  deacon  to  vote  as  she  wished.  He 
told  Mr.  Wight  that  he  didn't  vote  for 
the  re-election  of  these  teachers  simply 
because  Mrs.  Severns  asked  him  not  to. 
And  to  think  that  I  should  be  the  instru- 
ment to  effect  her  plans  !  I  never,  never 
would  have  carried  those  dishes,  if  I  had 
had  the  slightest  idea  that  I  had  so  many 
girls  in— in  the  soup."  And  again  Myrl- 
dina's  face  was  hid  in  her  handkerchief. 

Having  a  keen  sense  of  the  ludicrous, 
this  recital  was  too  much  for  Donald. 
Lying  back  in  his  chair,  he  gave  vent 
to  peal  after  peal  of  laughter,  which  only 
ceased  when  Myrldina  hastily  rose,  eyes 
flashing,  and  indignantly  exclaimed  :  "  I 


Truth  is  the  highest  thing  that  man  may  keep.  137 

didn't  ride  down  here  to  be  laughed  at! 
I  came  for  your  help ! " 

Donald  sobered  instantly.  u  Why,  my 
dear  child  !  "  he  said  soothingly,  "  I  can 
do  nothing.  I  fail  to  see  how  anybody 
can  do  anything  about  it.  The  school 
board  have  not  only  decided  whom  they 
will  retain,  but  they  have,  in  all  proba- 
bility, published  their  decision  in  the 
city  papers.  Isn't  it  so?  " 

uYes,"  sobbed  Myrldina. 

"They  are  supposed  to  represent  the 
city,"  he  explained,  "and  their  decision 
must  be  accepted  without  question.  Your 
friend,  Miss  Walton,  will  have  to  look 
elsewhere  for  a  position,"  he  added,  after 
a  minute's  pause  in  which  it  seemed  to 
him  that  his  heart  dropped  in  his  breast 
like  lead. 

"But  the  injustice  of  it  all!"  cried 
Myrldina.  "  If  they  were  all  intelligent 


138  A    Natural   Sequence. 

men  it  wouldn't  seem  so  bad.  But  the 
Deacon  is  an  old  fool,  and  the  Judge 
would  sell  his  soul  for  two  bits."  And 
then  she  questioned,  as  had  Mr.  Morgan 
the  previous  evening,  "Why  are  such 
men  permitted  to  serve  on  school 
boards?" 

To  this  Donald  made  no  reply.  He 
was  standing  with  arms  folded,  lips 
tightly  compressed,  and  eyes  looking 
steadily  before  him. 

Finally,  he  said  almost  sternly:  "Now, 
Myrldina !  you  are  wasting  you  strength 
in  shedding  these  useless  tears.  You 
must  learn  to  look  at  things  in  a  more 
philosophic  light.  I  fear  that  I  can  do 
nothing  towards  keeping  your  friend  in 
the  city;  but" — and  there  came  a  long 
pause,  followed  by  the  completion  of  the 
sentence  slowly  and  resolutely — "I  will 
do  what  I  can." 


Truth  /s  the  highest  thing  that  man  may  keep.  139 

However  she  might  tease  him,  Myrl- 
dina's  faith  in  Donald  was  unbounded. 
It  now  revealed  itself  in  ecstatic  words : 
"O,  you  dear  Donald!  I  know  that  you 
can  make  it  all  right.  You  always  do." 

Donald  did  not  feel  so  sure  of  success, 
but  he  did  not  lessen  the  girl's  ardor  by 
saying  so. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do?"  she 
questioned  cheerily. 

"A  diplomat  doesn't  tell  his  plans  to 
any  one,"  promptly  returned  Donald. 

In  no  way  disconcerted  by  his  answer, 
the  girl  continued,  "Well,  when  are  you 
going  to  do  it?" 

Her  cousin  laughed.  "You  are  a 
veritable  woman,  Myrldina.  There  is 
no  crushing  of  your  curiosity ;  but  if  it 
will  please  your  ladyship  to  know,  I'm 
going  back  with  you.  Before  long  the 
moon  will  be  up." 


140  A    Natural   Sequence. 

The  hot  lustrous  night  was  odorous 
with  sweet  perfume  of  tree  and  plant, 
when  Donald  and  Myrldina  rode  back  to 
the  city.  With  the  instincts  of  an  artist, 
the  girl  drank  in  the  beauties  of  the  land- 
scape, softened  by  the  light  to  an  incon- 
ceivable beauty. 

The  man  was  silent,  too;  but  for  far 
different  reasons.  Not  for  a  single 
instant,  since  that  evening  in  the  Lead- 
better  garden,  had  he  lost  sight  of  the 
singleness  of  purpose  that  had  triumphed 
over  his  baser  nature.  It  came  to  him 
this  night  with  a  new  meaning.  He  felt 
that  he  was  nearing  the  crisis  of  his  life. 
Let  that  hour  bring  him  weal  or  woe,  he 
would  never  swerve  from  this  duty  he 
owed  himself. 

A  half  hour  later,  he  stood  before  a 
mirror  in  one  of  his  Aunt  Margarette's 
rooms  making  a  careful  toilet.  This 


Truth  is  the  highest  thing  that  man  may  keep.  141 

done,  he  paced  twice  the  length  of  the 
floor  before  essaying  courage  to  pass  out. 
What  flood  tides  must  sweep  over  his 
soul  before  he  would  again  enter  this 
room ! 

Without  meeting  any  one,  he  reached 
Mrs.  Durgin's  house.  He  gave  a  sigh 
of  relief  when  he  caught  sight  of  Miss 
Walton  sitting  in  the  golden  glow  of 
light  that  flooded  the  veranda.  She  was 
reading  the  evening  paper,  and  Butler 
saw  that  she  was  alone. 

She  greeted  him  with  a  few  common- 
place words  and  motioned  him  to  a  chair 
near  her.  Butler  was  surprised  to  find 
her  so  tranquil.  He  had  pictured  her 
with  brow  dejected  and  spirits  drooping; 
but  instead,  she  looked  as  fresh  as  the 
crimson  bud  fastened  in  her  hair. 

He  had  decided  that  he  would  not 
feign  ignorance  of  her  eviction  by  the 


142  A   Natural   Sequence. 

school  board ;  neither  would  he  ignore 
the  fact. 

After  a  moment's  chat  on  the  weather, 
he  asked,  "  Do  you  leave  the  city  soon?  " 

"  I  intend  going  day  after  to-morrow," 
was  the  reply. 

"  The  circumstances  are  inauspicious 
that  hasten  your  departure." 

"  It  was  not  wholly  unexpected,"  she 
answered  carelessly.  "  You  know  that 
in  the  West  public  school  teachers  dine 
with  their  grips  by  their  chairs."  By 
the  way,  this  remark  which  her  caller 
thought  very  bright,  was  not  original 
with  Miss  Elsa.  It  was  a  quotation  from 
a  leading  New  York  educational  journal. 

"  You  do  not  seem  to  feel  badly  at 
going,"  he  continued.  "  I  presume, 
though,  that  this  is  partly  accounted  for 
by  the  knowledge  that  all  women  of 
to-day  are  more  or  less  cosmopolitan.". 


Truth  is  tlie  highest  thing  that  man  may  keep.  143 

"  Who  says  so?  "  asked  Elsa  with  sim- 
ple directness. 

"  Why !  we  hear  it  at  the  club,  read  it 
in  the  papers,  and  have  it  hurled  at  us 
from  the  pulpit,"  answered  Donald,  pro- 
vokingly  twirling  his  mustache  with  the 
air  of  one  who  feels  that  he  can  prove  all 
he  asserts. 

The  color  on  her  cheeks  had  deepened 
a  little,  and  the  light  of  her  eyes  betrayed 
more  eagerness ;  beyond  this  there  was 
nothing  to  indicate  that  the  remark  had 
aroused  in  her  any  spirit  of  opposition. 
Donald,  however,  noted  the  slight  change 
and  resolved  that  he  would  harass  her 
further.  Her  cool  self-possession  and 
indifference  held  him  at  a  disadvantage. 

"Cosmopolitism  doesn't  add  to  a  wom- 
an's attractiveness,"  he  said.  "  Women 
make  a  mistake  in  seeking  so  many 


144  A    Natural   Sequence. 

avenues  of  employment ;  they  are  losing 
their  chief  charm  in  so  doing." 

'  Why  do  they  seek  these  employ- 
ments? "  she  inquired  with  some  hauteur. 

"An  eminent  divine"  (Donald  gave  his 
name)  "has  said  it  is  because  a  woman 
likes  to  prove  that  she  is  as  good  an 


oarsman  as  a  man." 


"  I  have  never  known  a  woman  to  seek 
out  a  prominent  place  for  any  purpose 
but  as  a  means  of  self-support,"  quietly 
remarked  Elsa,  but  with  eyes  flashing. 

"  But  she  could  earn  her  living  in  a 
less  conspicuous  way,"  suggested  Don- 
ald. "  There  is  no  need  of  making  such 
a  tumult  about  it." 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  the  club,  the 
press,  and  the  pulpit  are  responsible  for 
this  tumult  you  mention.  The  women 
are  busy  about  their  work ;  and  these 
three  powers — controlled  almost  wholly 


Truth  is  the  highest  thing  that  man  may  keep.  145 

by  men — create  the  tumult."  Insurrec- 
tion was  now  visible  in  every  lineament 
of  the  flushed  face. 

"But  they  are  losing  their  womanli- 
ness," argued  Donald. 

"  I  think  your  premise  is  wrong," 
soberly  returned  Elsa.  "  If  a  woman  is 
forced  by  circumstances  to  earn  her 
bread,  it  seems  to  me  that  it  is  no  more 
womanly  to  content  herself  with  crumbs 
than  it  is  to  secure  a  slice,  or  perhaps  a 
loaf  for  herself.  For  my  own  part,  I 
intend  getting  just  all  I  can  in  an  honest 
way." 

"Your  remark  carries  conviction  with 
it,"  observed  the  man.  "I  own  a  ranch 
and  I  should  hate  to  be  ousted  from  it ; 
but  if  you  should  get  after  it,  I  feel,  in 
the  innermost  recesses  of  my  soul,  that  I 
should  have  to  turn  it  over  into  your 
hands.  I  may  as  well  yield  it  up  now, 


146  A    \atitral   Sequence. 

gracefully,  and  without  further  parley." 
Elsa   stood   up   and   looked   at  him  in 
round-eyed  wonder. 

Butler  felt  that  now  was  the  time  to 
drop  his  bantering  tone  and  speak  more 
earnestly.  "  I  came  here  this  evening 
for  a  purpose,"  he  said.  "One  year  ago 
this  month,  some  words  carelessly  spoken 
by  yourself,  deeply  impressed  me  ;—  so 
deeply,  that  they  changed  the  whole 
tenor  of  my  mind  regarding  certain 
things.  Until  then,  I  had  been  wholly 
absorbed  in  making  a  success  of  life 
from  a  worldly  point  of  view.  When  it 
occurred  to  me — as  it  sometimes  did — 
that  my  sordid  nature  could  not  reach 
out  in  charity  towards  my  fellow-men, 
nor  rise  to  meet  the  'Source  of  all  Truth,7 
I  would  silence  conscience  with  the 
thought  that  in  the  dim  future  there 
should  come,  into  my  heart  and  home, 


Truth  is  the  highest  thing  that  DKUI  may  keep.  147 

a  white-souled  woman  whose  influence 
should  make  of  me  a  better  man.  Your 
casual  remark  showed  me  that  her  love 
could  not  be  based  on  respect ; — therefore 
it  must  always  remain  cold." 

From  this  he  went  on  to  speak  of  Mrs. 
Leadbetter's  perfidy,  Elsa's  forgiveness, 
and  the  scene  in  the  garden  to  which  he 
had  been  a  witness. 

"  My  regard  for  you  has  kept  on 
increasing,"  continued  the  mellow,  allur- 
ing voice,  "until  you  are  the  one  woman 
in  the  world  for  me.  I  love  you  deeply — 
truly.  If  you  go  away,  you  take  my 
happiness  with  you," — and  the  strong 
man's  voice  almost  broke  ; — "  but  even 
you,  dearly  beloved,  cannot  take  away 
the  desire  to  make  of  my  life  all  that 
God  intended  I  should  make  of  it." 

As  he  ceased  speaking,  Elsa  stepped 
back  and  cried,  "Indeed!  I  am  not  half 


148  A    Natural   Sequence. 

as  good  as  you  would  make  me  out.  I 
went  to  Mrs.  Leadbetter's  because  I 
needed  the  money ;  believe  me,  that  was 
my  principal  motive."  And  into  the  eyes 
of  the  surprised  and  over-wrought  girl 
rushed  the  quick  tears. 

"  I  do  not  think  you  faultless,"  he 
replied  gently.  'That  being  the  case,  I 
should  not  want  you  for  myself ;  you 
would  make  me  appear  in  too  bad  a  light. 
But  I  need  you ;  I  want  you ! "  The 
words  were  spoken  with  an  intensity  and 
force  that  revealed  the  depth  to  which 
this  man's  strong  nature  had  been 
stirred. 

No  one  could  have  listened  unmoved 
to  the  passionate  appeal ;  much  less  the 
girl  to  whom  it  was  addressed.  But  cau- 
tiousness was  innate  in  Elsa's  character. 
Not  only  her  own  happiness,  but  that  of 
another  was  involved ;  and  while  in  her 


Truth  is  the  highest  thing  that  man  may  keep.  149 

heart  she  knew  there  existed  not  the  love 
this  man  would  claim,  was  it  justice  to 
him,  or  to  herself,  to  answer,  without  a 
careful  analysis  of  her  own  feelings,  this 
all-important  question  he  had  asked  of 
her? 

With  a  sweet  dignity  Elsa  moved  away 
from  the  man  who  had  drawn  near  in  his 
fervor,  and  said:  "Mr.  Butler,  this  even- 
ing you  have  paid  me  the  highest  com- 
pliment a  man  can  pay  a  woman.  It  has 
come  most  unexpectedly.  I  should  not 
answer  you  lightly, — I  cannot.  You 
must  give  me  time  in  which  to  know 
myself." 

With  this  decision  Donald  was  forced 
to  be  content. 

He  had  not  long  to  wait. 

The  next  evening  Elsa  slipped  this 
note  into  the  Post  Office : 


150  A   Natural  Sequence. 

"  Somewhere,  in  my  early  girlhood,  I 
read  these  words :  *  To  love  means  to 
think  of,  to  care  for,  to  hope  for,  and  to 
pray  for.'  I  have  always  felt,  rather 
than  said,  that  such  love  as  this  would  I 
give  the  man  to  whom  I  intrusted  my 
future  happiness.  At  present  I  have  not 
this  affection  for  you ;  but  my  regard 
can  easily  ripen  into  such  love.  And 
why?  Yours  is  a  nature  that  would  put 
forth  every  effort  of  heart,  and  brain,  and 
hand,  to  shield,  to  solace,  and  to  provide 
for  the  woman  you  love  ;  asking  only  in 
return  a  heart's  measure  of  love,  the 
daily  striving  to  grow  'onward  and 
upward,'  and  the  fulfillment  of  those 
womanly  duties  which  alone  can  make 
the  true  home.  I  feel  that  you  will  come 
to  me  soon.  ELSA  WALTON." 

Donald  Butler  read  this  message  care- 


Truth  is  the  highest  thing  that  man  may  keep.  151 

fully — once,  twice.  The  trusting,  confi- 
dent words  stirred  him  as  nothing  else 
could  have  done.  His  heart  filled  to 
overflowing  with  the  divine  passion  that, 
in  its  purity,  humility,  and  intensity,  was 
Christlike. 

"With  God's  help,  I'll  not  be  found 
wanting,"  he  said ;  chest  heaving  and 
breath  coming  in  short,  quick  gasps,  with 
the  strength  of  his  emotions. 

It  was  a  goodly  place  in  which  to  reg- 
ister such  a  vow.  The  setting  sun  was 
shimmering  its  light  upon  the  purple 
mountains  that  encircle  so  lovingly  the 
Salt  River  Valley.  The  roar  of  the  Ari- 
zona Fall  came  faintly  from  the  west- 
ward. All  around  him  was  the  emerald 
green  of  vines  and  trees.  Overhead  the 
cloudless  blue  of  the  sky,  suggestive  of 
future  bliss.  For  pure  hearts  and  per- 
fect love  can  always  make  an  Eden. 

THE    END. 


A15" 

A/37 

Hi  5 


